#ugh I hate post period blues

[yougavemeyourheartyouknow]

On thin ice (Hockey player! Miguel O’Hara x Figure skater! Fem! Reader)

Y’all… this word count… I’m was almost gonna slept it up but decided not too. Anyways hehe. Also the last chapter is gonna be posted on Halloween at the witching hour in PST, cause Halloween chapter! so I’m excited about that lol. The usual, not proofread, Miguel might be ooc.

(Y/F/N)- Your full name.

Not much Miguel and reader interaction but what is there is worth it. Me attempting to write about sports stuff I don’t know anything about even though I promise I did attempt research. Cursing (I think tbh I can’t even remember but probably), fluff (if you squint?????), I’m giving up on these tags lmao.

Word count: 2.8k

Series Masterlist

Chapter 14: Ever thought of callin’ when you’ve had a few? ‘Cause I always do.

—

It wasn’t entirely surprising how quickly you got everyone in your group to agree to go to the game later, although you were expecting Logan to be against the idea since he hates the sport, but apparently his want to see you and Miguel get together was stronger than his hate for hockey since he immediately agreed.

You were currently in your 4-way shared Airbnb getting ready for the hockey game, having already been kicked out of the dorms by the university despite there being a game tonight, which didn’t make sense in your opinion, but that’s neither here nor there. Usually you would usually travel back home during the breaks, but due to you and Logan participating in regionals this year, you had to stay in Nueva York, you had both decided to stay in one rather than a regular hotel since it would be cheaper, Kate and Xavier tagged along for emotional support.

“I’ve never actually attended a hockey game, what do you wear? Probably a crew neck or a hoodie right? It’s still an ice rink. Maybe I should wear school merch, ugh but the only school related jacket I have is our skating team varsity jackets.” Kate, Logan and Xavier just stayed silent as they watched you rambled on, their faces full of amusement (and from Logan just the slightest bit of annoyance) as they watched you freak out , glancing at you every once and a while as you kept pacing between the hallway bathroom and your room as you attempted to get ready for the game despite it not starting for another 3 and a half hours.

“You should have asked Miguel for one of his spare jerseys.” Logan teased as he wandered towards your doorframe and leaned against it as he watched you dump your suitcase over your bed. How the hell do you not have a red or blue jacket??

“Shut up Logan.”

“You’re overthinking this, you know.”

“What? No I’m not.” Oh, you totally overthinking this.

“He’s got you whipped.” Logan snickered, shaking his head as he crossed his arms over his chest. You in response threw a pillow in his direction, which he hit to dodge.

“You’re not funny Logan. Do you have a school sweatshirt I can borrow?” You said, releasing a deep exhale through your nose as you turn to look at him.

“I think I think I have a spear.” He replied as he picked up the pillow off the floor and tossed it on your bed. “I just don’t want Miguel trying to beat me up over you wearing my jacket.” He added as he walked over to where you were standing, stopping once he was right next to you.

“He wouldn’t, I promise. I won’t let him.”

—

“This is actually kinda fun to watch.” Xavier said to Kate, as she glanced over to you before back at the rink. The spiders were currently in the lead 2 to 1 and it was about to be the end of the first period, a little less than 6 minutes before the timer reaches zero.

“It’s totally scary though.” Kate said as she took a sip of her soda, you nodding in agreement.

“So glad I went into figure skating…” Logan muttered as his eyes widened, an almost horrified look spreading on his face, but he couldn’t look away. You would have giggled at his reaction if you didn’t feel the same way. Both sports are dangerous just in their own ways.

You turned your head as you saw Peter pass the punk to Miguel, who you believed was playing center, (you watched one of those 10 minute crash course videos on how hockey works before you came to the show because whether if you were aware of it or not, Logan was right about you being whipped already) as he was making his way closer to the goal, when one of the players on the opposite team came crashing into him back first. The other player’s elbow “accidentally” hit Miguel’s face, and Miguel was knocked back, landing against the wall as the player on the opposite side took the puck.

“What the fuck-.” You muttered under your breath in shock, cringing slightly as you watched Miguel’s hand going up to cover his mouth, his face wincing in pain, your hands going up to mirror his actions. As soon as Miguel’s hand made contact with his mouth, a timeout was called. The spider's couch went up to Miguel first, talked to him for a bit before walking over to where the referee was. You couldn’t hear anything from either interaction, so you just watched silently, ignoring your friends glances towards you, keeping your eyes on Miguel, worried written on your face. Miguel’s eyes shift around the arena, before finding yours, you can tell he’s trying not to cringe as much as soon as your eyes meet, as if he didn’t want you to see him in pain.

Once you two were looking at each other, you took your hand off your face and mouthed an “are you okay?” to which Miguel took his hand off his mouth and gave you a thumbs up and a smile, but his smile didn’t free you of your worries, in fact, it made it worse, before you could stop your body, you let out a gasp as your eyes widened. His mouth was bleeding, and it was bleeding a lot.

His expression seemed to falter a bit upon seeing your reaction, to what though you couldn’t really tell. Panic? Worry? You don’t know. Other then the initial pain he felt when the elbow made contact with his face, Miguel wasn’t really worried about his injury despite the metallic taste filling his mouth, he didn’t feel anything break or a tooth fall out, sure he’ll probably be sore from a few hours and will have to clean his mouth guard, maybe think about getting a cage instead (this wasn’t the first time someone has elbowed him in the face during a game) but he knows it’s a part of the sport, that’s what he signed up for when he started playing. So why was it that seeing the concern on your face made his chest tighten with guilt? Miguel didn’t have another time to dwell on his thoughts before his coach sent him to the locker room to clean up.

—

Miguel felt like he was going to go insane if he didn’t get the taste of blood out of his mouth. He’s already gone through 4 sticks of gum and had to refill his water bottle twice in an attempt to flesh out the coppery taste from his senses. He let out a frustrated huff of annoyance as he spat out another piece of gum and brought his water up to his mouth and took a big swig, gargling it a bit before spitting it out in a sink and finally started to make his way out, his bag with his gear slung over his shoulder as he exited the locker room. They had won the game luckily, but Miguel wasn’t as happy as he wanted to be about the victory, maybe it was because he was still mad about getting elbowed in the mouth, maybe it was because he had to be benched due to him getting injured so early in the game or maybe it’s because out of all the games he played this season, of course he got injured at the one you were attending.

Most of the team has gone home already, some stragglers were left, two of those being Miguel and Peter, and Miguel wouldn’t be surprised if you had left already, he probably would have if he was in your shoes. Maybe you got the ick from him now after watching him get hit in the face, and he would be back in square one all over again, the thought was more painful then the hit to his mouth. His mind was running a mile a minute as we made his way down the hall and towards the main exit to head to his car where Peter was most likely already waiting for him. As he walked, he was trying to keep his thoughts on his sore jaw and about the game, trying to to not think about how you saw him get hit, or how your face twisted in disgust at the sight of his bloody smile after you asked him if he alright, the embarrassment and angry he felt when after he came back from the locker room Coach Turner benched him, how-

Is that you talking to Peter in the parking lot???

“I should turn around and wait till she leaves…” he told himself under his breath, but his feet continued to move him closer to where both of you stood near Miguel’s car. Once he was a big closer Peter noticed him first, since your back was facing him, talking to him about something he couldn’t quite pick up on.

“Ah speak of the devil.” Peter said with a smirk, one you would haven’t thought much of, but Miguel knew that there was a smug undertone to it, as if he was right about something. “Sup Mig, we were just talking about you.” He continued as you turned to face him, your eyes widened for a split second as they scanned Miguel’s face, as if checking for more injuries, before you took a step closer to him, you hand instantly going to rest gently on his arm.

“Hey! Oh my god, are you okay? That hit looked brutal, god that jerk.” Miguel didn’t know if it was the way your tone and face went from concerned to annoyed as you spoke, or the way you hand went traveled from his arm to his chin, lightly gripping it and moving his face from side to side gently, mirroring his actions earlier in the day when he did the same to you after he bumped into you at lunch, but god did you make his heart burst with warmth.

“I’m okay ice princess, calm down.” Miguel assured you with a small smile, a chuckle escaping his swollen lips as he took your hand and brought it down away from his face, giving it a light squeeze as he did so. Neither of you have realized that Peter had slipped away into Miguel's car.

“Okay, okay good.” You sighed and nodded, glad to know he was relatively okay.

“Didn’t mean to get you all worried Princesa.”

You scoff, taking your hand away from him and lightly hit his chest.

“God, you always gonna say something stupid, huh?” You rolled your eyes, but your tone couldn’t hide the smile forming on your face.

“Of course I do, ice princess, how else am I supposed to annoy you?”

—

To say you were nervous was a complete understatement, you have never been more terrified for a skating performance in your life. It was your first time performing for regionals after all.

You had barely gotten a wink of sleep, a few hours at most, but you mostly spent the night twisting and turning, glancing at your phone to look at the time, before letting out a frustrated groan and pulling your sheets up a bit higher in an attempt to get yourself to finally sleep. But your attempts were mostly futile, finally throwing in the towel around 5:00 in the morning, deciding it would be better to spend your time Getting ready for the day you’ve been anticipating rather then attempting to get another hour of sleep you know you won’t get.

By the time the clock had struck 5:30, you'd already packed your equipment in your bag, and had loaded it in Logan’s car, not surprised when you saw his back already packed, before making your way to the kitchen to make yourself breakfast, something light but enough to keep you full till lunch.

“You couldn’t sleep either?” Logan asked when you saw him enter the kitchen, two Starbucks cups hand, passing you one as he took a sip of his, his voice low as to not wake up Kate or Xavier. You let out a hum and nodded your head as you took the one he handed you and took a sip, the caffeine making you wince as you feel it try to wake your body up a bit.

“We should hit the road soon, coach Kavinsky said we should be at the rink by 6 so we can make it in time for check in and make it for our off ice warm up.” You said as you stood up from your seat, putting your dishes in the sink.

—

“God, I didn't know our short program would take so long…” Logan huffed as you both threw your figure skating jackets over your performance outfits for the first half of the competition, as you both rushed down the arenas long hallway being careful to avoid running into some of the other pairs as you made your way back to the locker rooms to change.

“Did you see Kate and her boyfriend?”

“No. Did you see Miguel and his friend?”

“No. I didn’t get enough time to look around the seats to find them.”

“Same.”

You both dropped the conversation once you both reached your respective locker rooms. Quickly changing out of the first dress and slipped the second one on, it was a full black dress with long mesh sleeves and smoke black mesh on your sides, being sure to be careful with the gemstones that were placed around the waistline and the chest, and the black feathers that accented the back in order to look like a pair of small wings as you slip your jacket back on, before going to change your lip color and eye makeup.

You were stressing hard, hell, you were surprised you were able to apply your eyeliner with a steady hand. You didn’t need to rush, since you and Logan weren’t going back on the ice for a while since they still had a few short programs to go through before you were supposed to go back on, but you tended to rush when you were nervous. Once you finished fixing your makeup you went to touch up your hair, placing two feathered wing hair clips that pinned flat against your head to match the ones of your costume, one of each side of your head. As you were placing some more bobby pins in your hair to help keep the small wings in place you heard your phone ding next to where you had placed it next to all your supplies. Once placing the last bobby pin in your hair, you grabbed your phone to open it and look at the notification.

Hey, you did amazing, can’t wait to watch your other dance. -unknown number

Fuck how your heart skipped a beat.

You didn’t even need to ask who it was to know it was Miguel, although you never gave him your phone number, so you were a bit curious as to who he had asked for it, but for now you’d have to push that to the back of your mind and focus at the more important upcoming task at hand.

—

“Next skaters going for the free skate, (Y/F/N) and Logan Martinez.”

A pause as the two go into their starting positions before Swan Lake by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky begins to fill the arena, the two skaters cladded in black, the gemstones on their costumes, despite their small size, shimmered brightly from the lights. No sounds other than the music filling the rink and the occasional swish from the skates slashing the ice.

You might be representing the black swan but you’ve never looked more like an angel in Miguel’s eyes. Despite the tragic atmosphere that the performance was depicting, you looked absolutely heavenly to him, he shouldn’t be surprised, this is what you love to do, what you wanted to do for a living. But he’s never got the chance, no starch that, the privilege of watching you do a routine in all of your full glory. He’s caught glimpses of you and Logan doing both routines during practices, but that was different, you wouldn’t portraying the emotions like you were right now, you wouldn’t wear the performance outfit like you were now, and the energy you were putting into the routine was far more grand than when you would practice back on the uni’s arena. He could already see himself watching from home as you and Logan were representing the country in the Olympics, but then again, maybe it was just his heart talking,being overzealous. He didn’t know if it was the performance or just your presence that he couldn’t tear his gaze from, but he wasn’t even sure if he wanted to look away in the first place.

You and Logan were selected to advance to sectionals.

—

Taglist: @tayleighuh @cowboylikeevie @coralineyouareinterribledanger @jukioku @loser-alert @miguel-ohara-eater @serpentstarr @littlexscarletxwitch @darksidescorner @sukioyakio @minimari415

[florallylly]

side a: eddie munson

side a

side b side b: steve harrington

explanation post

just going to go straight to my very very stream of consciousness commentary about each song but i want to clarify that i'm an eddie munson is dirty and gross truther and also i hate that rat man (endearing). so yes it might play into some of my thoughts

some songs are kind of vibe-y and you can tell when my explanations start getting contrived and bad but bear with me. i DO have some specific keystone songs idc KEYSTONE i love the word ok anyway

“I” Black Sabbath; eddie munson you are a LOSER with OPINIONS we get it. like yes you are so persecuted by everyone sure you’re going to prove us all wrong 

“Heaven and Hell” Black Sabbath; tbh added to match with heaven/hell in the other playlist, but somehow it’s kind of giving munson doctrine to me. literally googled and supposedly it’s about like band kids (??) but i think just like “the world is full of kings and queens/who blind your eyes and steal your dreams” i can literally hear eddie munson quoting it

“Fade to Black” Metallica; UGH why are there so many long periods of silence at the beginning and end of these songs. but just adding to the eddie munson i’m so outcast bad boy drug dealer thing and like. had to have metallica

“I Don’t Wanna Be Me” Type O Negative; idk if anyone can tell that i think eddie is a big dramatic loser who thinks he’s the main character (endearing?) like I AM RIGHT… 

“skins” The Haunting; okay this song is saur…. like normal people scare me i’m such a freak coded

“Nosferatu” Blue Oyster Cult; a nod to Eddie Munson being a BIG LOSER NERD. ugh whatever honestly parallels a lot of kas theory fic imo, like innocent maiden steve offering his blood to vampire eddie … why have i read it several times over. in my head, this is like. eddie munson having a dirty dirty loser fantasy about king steve 

“Teenage Dirtbag” Wheatus; need I say more………. 

“The Sun Always Shines on T.V.” a-ha; yeah… YEAH. it’s a steve song on here. i like tried to do this thing where on each playlist there are keystone songs and this is one of them. like, the song that’s in the other’s genre is the moment they fall in love even if they don’t realize it yet. but re: the song like it’s so eddie having this realization that when he was picturing king steve, he only saw him through snapshots and now that he’s live and an actual tangible human it’s different. like  LIKE

“18” Anarbor; tbh i am trying so hard to add some of these songs bc they are so quintessential to me and my connection of music to fandom, BUT IDK…. ITS HARD…. but yeah it’s very steve harrington would never really want to be with me, i’m such a bad boy. okay….  

“Poison” Alice Cooper; eddie munson ur horny . eddie munson we’re sworn enemies like ur a jock and i’m a nerd and like could i light my cigarette with ur cock please please 

“Falling In Love” Scorpions; “falling in love, it happens to me every day” okay eddie munson i did NOT see u doodling hearts around steve’s name in the fourth grade

“Around the Fur” Deftones; i do not know why but for some reason feeling like steve still hanging around his old crowd, and eddie getting all weird about it. IDK !! does it not just feel so eddie munson

“Closet” Fleshwater; an interlude-y song here kind of an angsty moment for eddie 

“I Was Made For Loving You” KISS; SECOND KEYSTONE SONG…. this song signals the first time they sleep together. i am so sorry eddie munson but this music actually DOES give me migraines but i tried very hard  

“Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)” Deftones; eddie’s dreams about leaving hawkins and becoming famous. just in general his wishes to be somewhere he’s wanted and where he belongs. idk i feel like it’s eddie talking about all of these grand plans for his future and turning to steve and being like “and what about you?” and steve doesn’t have an answer.

“Covet” Basement; “you are everything/my most demanding dream” like like like eddie munson loving and hating that he’s in love with steve harrington who is hawkins to the bone and seems determined to die there. 

“Ghosts” Scarlet House; in my head this is eddie munson angsting after seeing steve hanging around nancy wheeler or robin buckley depending on when exactly we’re setting this. but it’s very woe is me i’m lost without you. idk it could literally even just be they fought and steve is at the grocery store chilling and eddie munson is literally frothing at the mouth sobbing in his van 

“Saturnine Saturnalia” VV; “there is no end to the hurting/i love you” saturnalia was a roman festival where they indulged in mischief and partying and whatnot. feeling like at this point, even if it’s fake, even if it ends up hurting me, i’ll take whatever i can get kind of feeling. maybe it’s like realizing he won’t be free of hawkins unless he lets go of steve or thinking that he’s just a stop on the way to a white picket fence. and i think that maybe this is the moment when eddie begins to realize how deeply he feels for steve.

“Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want” Deftones; PLEASE LET THE MAN GET WHAT HE WANTS !!! FOR ONCE !!! he is out here every single day dealing drugs PLEASE give him a sexy passenger princess to come with him on deals

“Black Butterflies and Deja Vu” The Maine; ik it’s a jump scare but KEYSTONE SONG…. the moment when they admit they’ve fallen in love. this is their aha moment. their AHA! moment not a-ha… but yeah…. eddie munson finally being like wait i’m in love with steve harrington and idk for how long but i’m in trouble

the future holds IDK ... just this part took me this long so PLEASE spare me i literally wrote this out on my notes app

[hyomaluvr]

BLLK NEO ARC SPOILERS

i’ve tried to post this three times. ugh

kunigami is such an oddball case to me. more than rin’s breakdown or reo’s “lonely” period, solely because i can’t understand what he could’ve mentally gone through to become the man he became.

i think the low hanging fruit to describe his drastic change is how he now views his hero dream as childish and has thrown it away, but i think there’s something else that sticks out to me more, and it’s that kunigami HATES violence and needless negging (he mentions it once with bachira at the beginning and another time with kuon and isagi). however literally all traces of empathy and compassion are completely removed at this point. i genuinely can’t think of something that could rewrite your beliefs, ideologies, and dreams so quickly.

we all know he’s a new generation noel noa, but the word “vessel” that’s often used to describe him really sticks out to me. the way it’s described is as though he’s just noel noa’s consciousness in a younger body, and obviously that’s not true but that’s how he acts!! maybe even more egoistical! what sticks out to me is noa’s quote at the beginning— “it feels better to score a hat trick and lose than win 2-1” in combination with isagi’s quote that he could “never have pulled off something so egotistical before” when he refuses to pass to kaiser. i have so many questions about how it’s possible to force an “ego” onto someone in such a short period of time when the purpose of blue lock is to cultivate egos into young strikers. man

BONUS

edgelord ren lol

[jessicas-pi]

WIP tag game

Tagged by @tarisilmarwen

Rules: In a new post, list the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them and then post a little snippet of it or tell them something about it! And then tag as many people as you have WIPs.

I have a terrifying number of WIPs so I'm not going to do every single one but here's most of them, semi-organized by time period:

TCW fics:

Matchmaking, Mad Science, And Accidental Child Acquisition: How To Bother Your Bodyguard, Befriend Some Social Outcasts, Raise A Foundling, And Survive The Ongoing Sheevery (You Might Just Fall In Love, Too)

Ugh, look what you made me do

Jaig Eyes and Diamonds

Midnight Snacks, Space PowerPoints, And Jedi-Nightsister Intercultural Relations

the sheevery ends and the shenanakins begin

Fives' Blyla Fic (Feat. Jesse's Beta Reader Notes)

A Friend in Need (of therapy and maybe a nap)

The Secret Life Of Queen Apailana

mandalorianakin

The Pad(awan) Batch

Rebels/OT fics:

Paint Bombs, Pixie Cuts, And Elopement: How To Spite Your Mother, Troll Your Friends, Scandalize High Society, And Escape An Arranged Marriage (You Might Just Stop A War, Too)

rebelvengers assemble

Licorice offerings (and other ways to cope)

Graveyards and ghost towns (and other stuff you wouldn't expect to be bonding experiences but were anyway)

that awkward moment when your bf's family is a bunch of oversized judgy canines

Starbirds and Wolves

Yes, I’ve Been Brokenhearted (Blue Since The Day We Parted)

All I've Learned Has Overturned

It's A Rich Man's World

We're In This Together

April's Tomfoolery

In Hindsight, This May Not Have Been The Best Idea

iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii'm hOOKED ON A FEEELLING

Local Teenagers' Vacation Ruined By Tropes, More At Six

the jetpack fic

This Is Fine

The Phantom(s) Of The Eclipse

this is getting out of hand now there are two of ALL of them

and they were CELLMATES

Commit To The Bit

The Promises AU

How To Train Your Mythosaur

It's About Time

Lost In (Wild) Space

Frances Hodgson Burnett Star Wars Rebels Crossover

Parenting For Dummies

Philosophies, Prophecies, And Even More Found Family

road trip! road trip!

Twin Blades And Beskar

Runie Kressa Wridger’s Guide To Human-Merfolk Relationships: Friends, Enemies, Family, And Really Hot Guys You’re Gonna Marry Someday.

The Rebel Chronicles

AAAAAANGST

even more adoption

Ship Wars

You Could Do Better

she would not, in fact, Let It Go

Other fics:

Time Heals Old Hate (put your armor on)

Time Heals Shaken Hope (brave the coming night)

Time Makes Things Known

Time Tells Most Secrets (and quinlan tells the rest)

What Time Cannot Take (long as we are loved)

bo-katan and her tin can man

Befriended!

MandaloREYan

untitled modern au

local goth space prince adopts 31 assassins: could this be a redemption arc?

And since there's no way I'm going to be able to tag 56 people, I'll do an open tag to literally anyone who wants to play!

[themaladaptivewriter12]

Title: Starry Skies

Part 5 of my “Cray-Cray for Cater” series! Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4 can be found here!

Parings: Cater Diamond x Twisted Wonderland Male OC (Mirai Yuhara)

Summary:

Mirai is struggling with his homework, so why not ask his super smart boyfriend for help.

cw: None!

a/n: I don't hate Vargas, I promise, he just had to be the bad guy for a sec.

Reblogs are appreciated, just use my custom tag, #TheMaladaptiveWriter12, if you do!  (─‿‿─)♡

Cross posted from my Ao3: TheMaladaptiveWriter12

It was the most dreaded period of Mirai’s day, gym class. Mirai didn’t even know why he had to even be in a gym class that was centered around flight, when he had no magic to begin with. Mirai supposed that it was due to every freshman having a core schedule and with him being a student, albeit, half of one, that he still had to take it, but it really was pointless when all he could do the second half of class was sit there. Well at least he didn’t have to exert himself too much, and he got to stop earlier, so he guessed it had its own perks. 

Mirai met up with Ace and Deuce on the field, the two already bickering about something. 

“Can you two go five minutes without fighting about something?” Mirai asked, putting Grim down on the ground. 

“He started it,” the two said at the same time. They both looked at each other, faces twisting in anger. “Did not,” they both shouted, “Did too! Jinx! Jinx again! You owe me a soda!”

Mirai laughed at the two.

“Hey freshies!”

Mirai whipped his head around, already knowing the owner of the voice. “Hey Cater,” Mirai waved as Cater made his way over to the group.

“Hey Boo,” Cater sang with a wink.

This was the only time Mirai liked gym class, when the upperclassmen had a joint session with his class, and that meant Cater would be there.

“With the amount of times you’ve signed up for this, one might think you actually cared for physical education,” A deep voice gruffed.

“Ha ha, very funny, Leona,” Cater sneered with a smirk, “We all know you’re here because you’re failing unlike the rest of us.”

“And you’re not?” Leona smirked.

“I’m not failing now, but unlike you, I don’t have any red marks for skipping as many times as you do.”

“But at least he tries, unlike you.”

Mirai looked behind Cater and was met with Vil Schoenheit’s piercing gaze.

“Why try when I don’t wanna do it anyways, #Lame,” Cater said nonchalantly.

There was a flash of light and suddenly Lilia Vanrouge materialized in front of Cater.  

“You and a certain blue haired youth need to try harder in general,” Lilia laughed.

“Why do that,” Idia Shroud’s tired voice droned as he drug his feet as he walked up to the group. “Gym class is for normies, and meatheads, totally trash-tier.”

Mirai laughed, “Exactly. I don’t know what’s worse, the changing part, the public humiliation part, or the exercise part.”

“Ugh,” Idia groaned.

“See! My point exactly,” Cater laughed. 

“I could drink ta that,” Leona gruffed.

“You guys are sad,” Vil sighed.

“Oh perks of being young,” Lilia sighed. 

“Alright, alright you lot,” Coach Vargas shouted, blowing his whistle, “Enough chit chat! Line up!”

Everyone lined up, freshman in the front, third years in the back. Coach Vargas went over the day's lesson, which pretty much was the same every gym class, warm ups, two laps, then flight practice. Mirai wanted nothing more than to get out of the scorching hot midday sun and take a nap.

“Diamond,” Coach Vargas called, starting roll call.

“Heyo,” Cater waved with three fingers.

“Grim?”

“Here,” Grim squeaked.

“Kingscholar.”

Leona sighed.

“Kingscholar,” Coach Vargas called again warningly.

“Here,” Leona gruffed angrily.

“Schoenheit.”

“Here,” Vil said.

“Shroud.”

“Here,” Idia muttered tiredly. 

“Spade.”

“Here,” Deuce shouted.

Ace snickered.

“Trappola,” Coach Vargas called.

“‘Sup,” Ace said, composing himself.

“Vanrouge.”

“Good afternoon,” Lilia smiled.

“Yuhara.”

“Here,” Mirai sighed.

After roll was over, Coach Vargas had everyone split up into pairs, an upperclassman to an underclassman. All they had to do was a series of stretches that consisted of arm stretches, toe touches, butterfly stretches, and back stretches. And while they did so, they had to spot for each other, making sure that they were doing them correctly and safely. Deuce ended up with Leona, Ace with Vil, which Ace cringed at, and of course, Mirai and Grim were paired with Cater. 

“Okay,” Cater said, clapping his hands together, “how about we start with some simple arm stretches?”

Mirai nodded.

The pair stretched their arms, one arm hocked over the other, and Grim did so as well, stretching his little monster cat arms.

“Now toe touches,” Cater winked.

“O-Okay,” Mirai nodded.

Cater went first, standing straight before reaching down touching his toes on the first bend, holding the pose for ten seconds, then he stood up straight. Mirai really didn’t know why they had to be each other’s spotters, for they were just simple stretches.

“Okay, your turn.”

Mirai sighed dreading the stretch. Mirai stood up straight bending down to touch his toes, but only he didn’t, he couldn’t touch his toes. His fingertips only came down to his knees, and any lower bought a searing type of pain. Mirai felt his face flush in embarrassment and in disappointment.

“Can you go any further?” Cater asked softly, running a hand up and down Mirai’s bent back.

Mirai shook his head, standing straight, keeping his eyes downcast.

“That’s okay, we can move on.”

They moved on to a butterfly stretch, and once again, Cater went first, completing the stretch. Then Mirai followed and once again he wasn’t able to stretch down as far as he should. Mirai huffed in annoyance, not even holding the stretch for the required time. Grim watched Mirai with something akin to worry etched on his feline face, but he said nothing.

They moved onto the last set of stretches that consisted of stretching both arms to either spread legs, then one that laid their bodies flat to the ground between their spread legs, well, that’s how it was supposed to go, but that didn’t happen. Ace’s and Deuce’s groups were done, so they made their way over to Mirai and Cater, and not soon after Lilia, and Idia made their way over as well. There was a good majority of students who were still stretching scattered about, and Coach Vargas made his rounds, checking and critiquing everyone's work. Mirai just hoped he could finish before Coach Vargas got to him.

Mirai didn’t like the increase in eyes on him as their group grew in size, but he had to finish, lest he wanted to get marked for nonparticipating. Mirai tried his hardest to lay his torso to the ground and stretch his arms in front of himself, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t get any lower than measly putting his palms on the ground in front of himself.

“Yuhara,” Coach Vargas yelled, “I do not accept laziness! Stretch properly.”

The field got quiet and the entire class had eyes on the Magicless Prefect. Mirai grit his teeth, face flushing, glaring at the grass in front of him. Coach Vargas marched his way over standing over the group.

Cater stood up stammering, “But, but Coach-”

“Diamond, you’re supposed to be his spotter and he’s slacking,” Coach Vargas chided, cutting Cater off, “Didn’t I say I would only allow you to do this if you didn’t slack off?”

“W-Wait, that's, that’s not-”

“Yuhara! Do it again! Start from the beginning!”

The group stood in a tense silence as Mirai sighed angrily, getting into position, reaching forward only to stop before he really did anything.

“You’re not even trying,” Coach Vargas snapped, “Do it again.”

“Don’t you get it,” Cater shouted, “He can’t. He physically can’t!”

Ace and Deuce looked as if they wanted to help, but didn’t know how. Lilia was currently stopping Grim from giving Vargas a piece of his furry little mind, Idia looked as if he wanted to run and hide, the second hand embarrassment making his heart race, and the others looked as if they were ready to set the entire field ablaze. 

Mirai stared angrily at the ground, moisture clinging to his eyelashes. He wanted to crawl into a hole and die. Mirai wanted to jump off the cliffs of the school and never be seen again. 

“Again. You can’t do it right unless you don’t try,” Coach Vargas said.

“And he did.” 

“You can’t possibly call that-”

“Here,” Mirai gritted out as he stood. Mirai ripped his prosthetic from its socket and thrust it at Vargas. “This is why I can’t! So please, if you can, revert the damages, please do!”

Coach Vargas looked at the group, shocked and clearly uncomfortable. Even though he didn’t want to back down, he grumbled to himself, and walked away blowing his whistle loudly.

“Two laps! Let’s go,” Coach Vargas shouted.

Mirai stood up, putting his arm back, before he jogged off ahead of the group, keeping his head down.

“Mirai,” Cater called, but Mirai didn’t listen.

Mirai hated people like that, people who could see past their own abilities and expected others to fall in the same place as they do. Mirai was more than happy to make a scene and make those people just as uncomfortable as they made him, or even more so if need be.

After the accident, the doctors told him he was lucky to be alive, let alone be able to walk, but that didn’t mean it still didn’t hurt when he was reminded of his disabilities, what he had lost, who he had lost. But Mirai was trying his hardest, he always was, but to many, that wasn’t enough, and he hated it. Some nights his back pain kept him up, and sometimes it was too much to bear that he couldn’t get up in the morning, and there was nothing he could do about it. So Mirai put up with it, he dealt with the pain, he dealt with walking with that crooked gait, he dealt with having to live with his scars, he dealt with not being able to sit up straight, he dealt with his partial blindness and the pain that accompanied it. Mirai dealt with it all.  

Mirai scrubbed at his eyes with his sleeves as he jogged, and as time went on, he ended up taking the rear with Idia who dragged his feet as he jogged, huffing and puffing like he ran a marathon. Mirai was only midway through with his second lap, when the majority of the class was already done with their laps, waiting on the stragglers. Mirai and Idia were two of them. Idia slowed his efforts, jogging to match Mirai’s pace, clapping a hand on Mirai’s shoulder. Idia didn’t say anything, but the look on his face was enough for Mirai to get the message. And after a while, Cater slowed as well. The three jogged at a leisurely pace, the only ones left doing their laps.

“Come one you three,” Coach Vargas yelled, “we don’t have all day!”

“I don’t know what more you want me to do, besides keel over,” Mirai sneered quietly.

Idia snickered, “That doesn’t sound too bad right now.”

“Anything but this sounds good right now,” Cater huffed.

Much to Coach Vargas’ chagrin, the three kept their slower pace and finished their laps together. Coach Vargas went on a tangent on muscles or something, Mirai didn’t care at this point. All he wanted was to change out of his gym clothes and shower.

“Okay everyone,” Coach Vargas shouted, “time for flight practice. Grab your partner and grab a broom.”

While everyone else grabbed their broom, Mirai sighed in relief as he wandered off to the nearest shaded spot and sat down. Since Mirai couldn’t fly, he didn’t have to do anything, but Grim could, so Cater helped him. But after Grim’s protests, and refusal for help, Cater went and did his own thing, standing on the handle as he did tricks and flips on it. 

“I realize that you fly like you’re riding a skateboard,” Mirai chuckled as Cater did a mock kickflip with his broom.

Cater laughed, “Technically, we’re supposed to sit, but Coach stopped caring after a lot of the upperclassmen started flying the way they wanted to.”

“What’s it like, to fly, that is?”

“It’s like,” Cater started, getting off the broom to sit next to Mirai on the grass, “It’s like, freeing I guess. Like NGL, my first time on the broom was terrible and it wasn’t easy, but it’s fun now. And the worst part is the bugs. Like imagine flying, sun on your face, wind in your hair, and then suddenly getting a mouthful of bugs, #Gross.”

Mirai cackled, throwing his head back, “Sounds traumatic.”

Suddenly Grim’s tiny broom launched itself across the field, with a terrified Grim hanging from the bristles for dear life.

“Grim,” Mirai and Cater shouted, chasing after him.

After gym class was over, the class made their way back to the locker room, and when a big group of students passed Mirai in a race to change out, a large hand made its way into his hair, ruffling his shaggy blonde strands. Mirai jumped in surprise, his head whipping around to find the culprit, and when he did, he didn’t expect to see Coach Vargas standing next to him. Coach Vargas didn’t say anything but the look on his face said it all. Mirai nodded at him, and Coach Vargas seemed to visibly relax with a sigh, the man tension in his body melting away. With that, Coach Vargas jogged off to his office, and Mirai passed that day with full credit.

After classes Mirai cleaned up around Ramshackle, ate, and showered. The last thing he now had to do was do his homework, and like always, he struggled. In his current unit in Magic history and Potionology, there’s a sub unit about the stars, but he couldn’t get this world's ideology. Magic from the stars, wishes, it was all Greek to Mirai. So he had decided to ask Cater for help with his homework, the entire topic going over his head, and the Heartslabyul third year was more than willing to help, telling the Ramshackle Prefect to meet him outside the Hall of Mirrors. 

It was late, the wind cold and punishing, and Cater was late, not even at their meeting place when he was the closest out of the two of them. Mirai was starting to regret asking in general, it was cold, dark, and the ways the trees blew in the breeze were starting to give him horror movie vibes. Mirai checked his phone over and over for a text that their plans were canceled, or if Cater was going to be late, there was nothing. Mirai was just about ready to head home, when something obscenely large flew past him, the gust picking up grass and dirt. Mirai froze, his heart pounding in his chest, whatever it was, it was fast, too fast. He backed himself up to the door of the Hall of Mirrors, eyes darting around, looking for whatever it was, hoping it wasn’t some deadly Isle of Sages beast. 

Suddenly it was back, flying by like a flash. All Mirai could see was the ugliest orange, black and brown blurb, and its voice was horrendous. Mirai gasped, his hand blindly searching for the knob of the door. Maybe he’d just go to Heartslabyul himself and have Cater walk him home, or better, just sleep over.

“Aw. What’s got you shaking in your boots, Boo?”

Mirai yelped, head whipping around, looking for Cater, but he didn’t see him. 

“Cut it out, Cater,” Mirai huffed, “This isn’t funny.”

There was silence, and Mirai still didn’t see Cater or the thing. He just wanted to go home. Suddenly Mirai was face to face with Cater. Mirai yelped, eyes going wide. Cater was hanging upside down on his broom, his strawberry blonde waves hanging down in Mirai’s face. 

“C-Cater?!” Mirai gasped.

Cater didn’t say anything as he leaned forward, pressing a kiss to Mirai’s trembling lips. It was short and sweet, and it definitely calmed Mirai down a bit. “Better?” Cater cooed.

Mirai was momentarily dazed from the kiss before his face morphed into anger.

“You bastard,” Mirai shouted. “You frickin’ scared me! I thought, I thought…” 

Mirai’s argument died on his lips, frustration and the lack of adrenaline washing over him, and now that he knew he was safe, and there was no monster, he felt stupid. 

Cater lowered himself to the ground, sitting up to slide off the broom to hold Mirai. “You mad at me?” Cater asked, lips pouty, making his words sound childish. 

“No,” Mirai gruffed.

“Yes you are.”

Mirai shook his head.

“Sorry for scaring you,” Cater muttered, holding Mirai tighter.

“It’s fine, doesn't matter anymore. Just, just, let’s just go. It’s cold.” 

Cater chuckled, kissing Mirai on the forehead. 

Mirai turned to go back to the Hall of Mirrors when Cater caught his shoulder.

“Where you going?” Cater laughed, “Get on.”

“Hu-Huh?” Mirai stuttered, whipping his head around to meet Cater’s eye. 

“Get on,” Cater repeated, patting the space behind him.

“But, but, I thought, I thought we were going to study?”

“We are, but just not at the dorm.”

Mirai inched his way to the broom, not sure about the idea. Was this against the rules? Was this allowed? In the grand scheme of things, Mirai didn’t care for rules, he just didn't want Cater to get in trouble. 

“C’mon. You’ll be fine. Promise,” Cater reassured.

Mirai tentatively swung his leg over the broom, making sure he was seated as he ever would be on a broom, and held onto Cater tightly. 

“You ready, Sugarplum?” Cater asked, running a thumb along the back of Mirai’s hand.

Mirai nodded against Cater’s back.

“And we’re off!”

Mirai kept his eyes shut tightly, and as he felt his toes lift off the ground, he clutched Cater even tighter. 

“You’re okay, Baby,” Cater cooed, “I gotcha.”

Mirai could feel the atmosphere change, the wind picking up a bit, the force pushing against his legs. Mirai could tell they weren’t going too fast, but he was afraid to look. Just the sheer fact that one wrong move could send them hurtling towards the ground had Mirai stomach in knots.

“Babe, look,” Cater whispered. 

Mirai shook his head, much preferring to stay where he was, trapped in Cater’s soft shirt and his scent.

“C’mon, Baby. We’re not even moving.”

They weren’t moving were they? Mirai slowly moved his face from Cater’s back, and slowly peeked an eye open. Mirai was taken aback, glad he opened his eyes, or he would’ve missed the mesmerizing sight in front of him. The campus looked as if it was from a storybook. It was lit up, the magestone lights casting everything in a warm golden glow. Fireflies danced in the night, flickering as they bounced to and fro. To put it in simpler terms, it was magical, although, this world actually was. 

Cater looked at Mirai’s awed expression fondly, the lights reflecting off his features. Cater, as quickly and effectively, took his phone out of his packet and snapped a pic. 

“Wanna try moving a bit?” Cater asked, pocketing his phone. 

Mirai nodded his head determinedly, “Mn.” 

“Alright, let's start slow.”

Cater continued on, their pace slow. It kinda reminded Mirai of the pace of an escalator, slow and steady. It was nice, Mirai got to see the campus from a totally different point of view, but it was getting boring fast. 

“You can go faster,” Mirai muttered, scooting closer to Cater to hold him tight.

“Okie dokie,” Cater winked, and not a second later, they picked up speed. 

They were going fast, like really fast. Mirai yelped, shoving his face into Cater’s blazer once more, and Cater laughed. They sped through campus, going around lamp posts, in between trees, and over buildings. It remained Mirai driving a motorbike, but instead, it was much faster and instead of being safely on the ground, they were suspended many feet in the air. It was like Cater said, it was freeing, it made Mirai feel like he could do anything. After they flew around a bit more, they soon came to a stop, the broom settling down to land. Mirai opened his eyes and they were on one of the exterior hallways on the second floor.

“Where are we going?” Mirai asked, as he followed.

“You’ll see,” Cater sang.

They continued their walk, it was a short one, and as the hallway opened up, a large dome-like building came into view.

“Is that, is that an observatory?” Mirai asked in awe.

“Bingo,” Cater chirped. 

Cater led them to the door. It was rounded at the top, and split two ways down the middle. But what caught Mirai’s eye was on the doors. There were knobs, dials, and gears of sorts, it all looked too complicated to figure out.

“What’s this? Some kinda advanced lock?” Mirai asked, running his fingers along the ornate designing of the metal doors. 

“Kinda,” Cater smiled, “But it’s not that hard to figure out.”

Cater pulled on the knobs, turning, rotating, sliding, and pushing, and as he did, the gears moved and clicked. Mirai watched with rapt attention as Cater fiddled with the door, it seemed it only worked in a certain order. Soon there was a click, a click that sounded much different from the others, and then the metal doors were sliding open. 

“That was so cool,” Mira gushed. “How’d you do it?! What are you?! Some kind of wizard or something?!”

Cater cackled, “I mean, Cay-Cay kinda already is. But it’s all memorization at this point.”

Mirai followed Cater inside, and the doors slowly slid closed behind them. Cater placed the broom against the wall, and took out his magic pen, waving it and suddenly, the room came to life. 

“Welcome to the Observatory,” Cater chirped.

Mirai was utterly speechless. He didn’t know what to do, to say, all he could do was sit there and stare at the jaw dropping sights in front of him. It was mesmerizing. The room was covered in a warm gold glow, charts and diagrams were etched into the stone walls. The ceiling was gorgeous, it was dark blue and covered in stars and constellations that seemed to twinkle and move like they were the real things. But what Mirai was most intrigued about was the huge astrolabe-like object in the center of the room. 

“What’s that?” Mirai asked Cater, cocking a thumb at the object. 

“That’s an Orrery,” Cater supplied. “It’s a model of the solar system.”

“So not an Astrolabe. Got it.”

“Not quite,” Cater chuckled. 

“And what do those mean?” Mirai pointed to the walls. 

“Celestial navigation charts. They help with that star chart on the ceiling.”

“So cool.”

Mirai was in awe, he felt as if he was in a video game. I mean, at this point, Mirai wasn’t sure if he would ever get used to the amazing places and things people would dream to actually experience back at home, but sometimes, Mirai forgot actually how magical this world was.

“So,” Cater said, and suddenly a large spell circle lit up underneath him, “what can Cay-Cay help his amazing boyfriend with?”

Mirai lost track of how much they spent in the Observatory, but how couldn’t he? This was the first time Mirai had seen this side of Cater. He was just so animated, something he never saw in Cater unless he was talking about music or Magicam. And his knowledge on the subject, it was better than any teacher Mirai ever had. Cater not only helped Mirai with his assignment, but he also gave him a history lesson as well. And the way Cater knew all the machinery like the back of his hand, Mirai could tell that Cater spent a lot of time in the room.

After they had finished, Cater led the two of them out the Observatory and back into the cool night. The ride back to Ramshackle was short and to be frank, Mirai was kinda sad about it, he likes spending time with Cater.

“Now arriving at Ramshackle Dorm,” Cater said, pretending to speak through an intercom, “Please stay seated until the broom comes to a complete stop.”

“You’re silly,” Mirai chuckled.

“Thank you for flying with Diamond Airlines. Please fly with us again,” Cater laughed, helping Mirai off the broom.

“And what do I owe you, Mr. Pilot,” Mirai asked teasingly.

“Hmm,” Cater hummed in mock thought, tapping a finger to his chin. “I think a kiss would suffice.”

Cater met Mirai halfway, pulling the Ramshackle Prefect into his arms as he placed a soft kiss to his lips. 

“There we go,” Cater chuckled, pulling back. “Now go get some sleep, it’s late.”

Mirai pouted but let Cater go.

“Night, Baby,” Cater cooed, waving.

“Night, Cater,” Mirai waved, going inside.

A couple of days passed and Mirai and Grim were hanging out at the Heartslabyul Dorm. Trey needed a couple of taste testers for a new Macaroon flavor he was trying, and Grim was more than happy to eat something. Mirai on the other hand aced his assignment, and wanted to show Cater. Mirai didn’t think he’d ever complete that assignment without his help, and wanted to thank him for it.

“Where’s Cater?” Mirai asked, helping Trey clean up. 

“I don’t know,” Trey said thoughtfully. “But I’d either check our room, or the balcony.”

“The balcony?”

“Yeah. We have two balconies. A big one on the third floor, and a smaller one on the fourth floor. Cater likes to sit on the smaller one from time to time.”

“Alright, I’ll check there then,” Mirai said. “Grim, you coming?”

Mirai looked over to the cat to find him stuffing his furry face with all the leftover Macaroons.

“I guess not,” Mirai laughed. “Stay out of trouble, yeah?”

Grim nodded frantically, taking a sip of his glass of milk.

“Bye Trey, see you later,” Mirai waved. “And thank you.”

“Have fun, and thank you,” Trey chuckled. 

Mirai went to the upperclassmen hallways and checked Cater’s room. After Mirai knocked a couple of times, without an answer, Mirai went to find the balcony. After asking a couple of Heartslabyul students for the right way to go, the stairs to the balcony weren’t hard to find. Mirai climbed the stairs and opened the door slightly, peeking his head around the corner. Leaning against the railing was Cater, and surprisingly, his phone was off in his hand. He looked so peaceful standing there, and Mirai was second guessing going up there. He didn’t want to disturb Cater’s time by himself. 

“You spying on me?” 

Mirai jumped with a shout and turned around to see Cater standing behind him.

“H-Huh, w-wha, ho-how did, weren't you-”

Cater chuckled at Mirai’s confusion. 

Mirai pouted, “I-I wasn’t spying. I just didn’t want to bother you.”

“Aw, Hon, you could never bother me,” Cater cooed.

Suddenly the door opened and the Cater Mirai had been talking to had dissipated into fluttering playing cards. Cater took Mirai by the hand and led him outside. It wasn’t too cold, or too hot, the night air was warm and pleasant. It reminded Mirai of a nice summer’s night.

“What’s up, Buttercup?” Cater asked. “Did you miss little ol’ me?”

“Well, not that I’d say no, but I wanted to show you my grade,” Mirai said, pulling out his phone. “Look! I passed!”

“What kinda junior would I be if I couldn’t help one of my adorable freshies out?”

“You’d still be my favorite,” Mirai smiled.

“Aw, it was nothing,” Cater said, fiddling with his bangs.

Mirai giggled, reaching up to kiss Cater on the cheek, “And thank you.”

“Now aren’t you sweet,” Cater gushed dramatically, pulling Mirai into his arms. “You’re making Cay-Cay’s poor little heart go swoon!”

“And you act like that’s a bad thing.”

“Never said it was,” Cater smirked.

Mirai laughed.

“Oh,” Cater said, suddenly perking up, “So, like, after that day I helped you, I looked into your Astrology sign, and it turns out Geminis and Aquarius' are totes compatible.”

“Are we now?”

“Like, it’s so close to one hundred percent! It says our relationships are strong, and lasting, we always have interesting things to do, and we complement each other perfectly. Like talk about #Soulmates!”

Mirai loved how animated and happy Cater got when talking about the things he liked, but honestly, Astrology? Mirai and Astrology didn’t mix. He’d seen it all back home. In America it was all the craze for the majority of the girls in his class. Crystals this, Astrology signs that, and don’t let one of them find out you and her weren’t compatible, they’d make it their mission to never get along with you at all. It was ridiculous! How could one truly believe they were controlled by random balls of gas in space? Then they’d use their sign to defend their toxic behavior. But I guess that worked out for Mirai in the end, then he’d know which girls to avoid himself. 

“Would you, would you still like me even if we weren’t?” Mirai asked quietly.

Cater looked surprised, “Still like you? Why wouldn’t I like you?”

“Would you still go out with me even if we weren’t compatible, that is?”

“That’s like asking if I’d still love you if your hair was neon green?”

Mirai still didn’t look convinced, and Cater sighed, running his hand up and behind Mirai’s ear, his long finger threading between long blonde strands, “Baby, we could have the worst compatibility ever, and I’d still choose you. We could be destined to never work out, and I’d still find a way. The compatibility thing is just like a bonus, ya’know?”

“Ok,” Mirai muttered.

“Kinda like finding out we have the same movie interests, or similar hobbies. In the grand scheme of things, it kinda means nothing, people are bound to have different interests, but it still doesn’t mean that it doesn’t feel good when you find out.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“Still upset?”

“No,” Mirai pouted.

“I don’t know,” Cater teased, “Still looks pretty pouty to me.”

“I am not.”

“C’mon, give me a smile. Smile for little ol’ me.”

Cater leaned down and pressed a chaste kiss to Mirai’s lips and he instantly smiled.

“There we go. The prettiest smile in the world,” Cater gushed affectionately. 

Mirai snickered, “You always taste like cherry chapstick.”

Cater went a little pink at that, “Do you not like it?”

“No, I do,” Mirai whispered, standing on his toes to kiss Cater again. “I don’t think I can ever taste cherry chapstick without ever thinking of you again.”

“Good,” Cater muttered against Mirai’s lips, “I want you to think of me even when we’re apart.”

“You’re always on my mind.”

Cater flushed a pretty pink, whining as he shoved his face into Mirai’s neck, and Mirai chuckled quietly. 

“Why are you so cute?” Cater whined. “This is so not good for my poor old heart.”

“Um, hello? Have you seen yourself in the mirror? You’re the cute one,” Mirai laughed.

“No, no, it’s totally you, baby.”

Mirai pouted, but didn’t say anything else.

There was a comfortable silence between the two of them, the two of them just enjoying each other’s company. Mirai liked moment’s like this, just being with Cater was enough. He liked the scent of Cater’s cologne, he liked being in Cater’s arms, he liked the feeling Cater gave him. It made him feel wanted.

“Hey, Cater?” Mirai called.

“What’s up, Sugarplum?” Cater asked, looking down at Mirai.

“Will you tell me about the stars again?”

“Of course.” 

Cater told him about the stars, stars Mirai knew, stars he didn’t know, even the stars that were exclusive to Twisted Wonderland. He told him their stories, their meanings, and little facts that weren’t known to the common person. Cater told Mirai of their histories, what they were named, why they were named, who named them, when they were discovered, everything. And Mirai listened, and listened, and listened. He listened because it was interesting, he listened because it was Cater, he listened because he cared. And he did care, so much, so much that it hurt. 

So they sat, side by side, legs swinging off the balcony through the ornate metal bars. Every so often, their shoulders would bump, and fingers would brush against each other, and sometime during the moment, their hands ended up laced together with Mirai's body relaxed into Cater’s form. And the whole time, the bright stars continued to shine in the clear night sky above.

[oyprongs]

20 questions for fic writers

thank u @isahorcrux for tagging me !

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

10

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

85,062 words

3. What fandoms do you write for?

i now only write for HP and just jily, but i used to write lucaya from girl meets world lmaoo

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

this is such a weird order to me but: i would still be on my feet, a slip of the thumb, as it always was (it always was, it always was) [lol], stage fright, and then i love you much (most beautiful darling) and spare the rest for me are tied

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

i try to!! especially if someone took the time to write a really nice or long one. i like for people to know i appreciate it!

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

i think the only fic i have with an angsty ending is "i love you much (most beautiful darling)" because it's canon jily until their death. for some reason i wanted to do that when i was 18 idk

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

probably barry, bond, and the blues or a slip of the thumb, just because they were pretty much all fluff beginning to end

8. Do you get hate on fics?

no i don't think i ever have. i genuinely don't think people care enough to lmao

9. Do you write smut. If so, what kind?

i have but only like a scene or so, and it's all fairly mild except for maybe one or two explicit words lol. i have other stuff in the works but haven't touched it in ages

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

nope and i don't intend to. they just don't really interest me

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

nop!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

someone asked to translate an old lucaya fic into russian but idk if they ever did lol

13. Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

no, but i would! i just think i'd be terrible at cowriting because i'm sooo slow

14. What's your all-time favorite ship?

oh god. i think literati and jily are tired for me, just from their sheer staying power in my heart + how frequently i go through periods of obsession with them

15. What's a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

ugh. my people we meet on vacation au "let's fall apart and start again" that i literally only have the prologue posted for. one of these days u guys......

16. What are your writing strengths?

ummm i think dialogue! at least that's usually what i start with and then try to build around.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

isa said finishing things and that is so true. i also would say inner monologues

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

omg it scares me to death i have too much anxiety about getting it completely wrong

19. First Fandom you wrote for?

well technically harry potter if u count my 7 yo fanfiction, but officially it would be gmw/lucaya

20. Favorite fic you've ever written?

in terms of jily, i do really like "let's fall apart and start again" and "stage fright", but is it crazy if i say im actually still proud of my 17yo self writing like 50k of two disney characters jsdfkj a

ok as usual im sure all my ct discord friends have been tagged but whatever @sunshinemarauder @possessingtheproperspirit @emeralddoeadeer

[mermaid--bride]

Diabolik Lovers || Dark Waters - Maria Dark Route [Dark 03]

--Scene starts at the school’s hallway

Maria: (Fufufu Listening to music while drawing is simply the best!)

(It’s true my back is starting to hurt a little from sitting on the floor...)

(But I’m almost done now, so I can handle it!)

Yui: Maria-san? What are you doing on the floor?

Maria: Hm?

--Maria removes her earphones

Maria: Ah, Yui-san! I was just drawing a bit.

Yui: Drawing? ... Why not use a desk though?

Maria: I wanted a place with less people around, that’s all.

Would you like to see what I made?

Yui: Yes! Please, show me!

Maria: Here you go~!

Yui: Wow...

That is good!

Maria: Is it?

Yui: Yes! I didn’t know  Maria-san could draw at all!

Maria: Fufu I can! In fact I even take commissions to gain some money!

Yui: Eeeh? For real!?

Maria: Mhm~!

Yui: That is so cool!

Laito: So cool indeed~

Yui: Eh?

Maria: Hm?

--Laito and Ayato appear

Laito:Nfu To think Slut-chan would be hiding such talent is quite cruel, isn’t it~?

Maria: It’s not like I was hiding it though...

Ayato: Oi, Fake Blue¹! You better make sure you draw Yours truly soon! If I’m displeased by the result, there will be consequences!

Laito: Ayato-kun is always so full of himself...

Ayato: What did you say-!?

Laito: But you know... I wouldn’t mind it if Slut-chan decided to draw me~

Say... How would you like that, Slut-chan~? You can tell me to pose anyway you like~ You could even get my clothes off to draw me naked~

Haah~ Just the thought gets me excited~ What do you say? Do you like the idea~? Hm~?

Maria: U-Um...

Ayato: Tch! You damn pervert. That aside... Chichinashi, I’m very thirsty after so many boring classes. Come here give me some blood.

Yui: Eh? Right here!?

Ayato: Idiot, of course I mean right here.

Yui: But we’re int he middle of school and... and Maria-san and Laito-kun are still here...!

Ayato: Does it really look like I care? Hurry up and give me your blood.

If you’re obedient, I might even make you feel good~.

Laito: Hmm~ Not fair, Ayato-kun~ I’m pretty thirsty myself, you know~?

Well, in that case, why don’t we join them, Slut-chan~?

Maria: What!?

--CG appears

Laito: Nfu!  I wonder what Slut-chan’s blood tastes like~ 

Maria: W-W-Wait a second! L-Laito-kun!

*Rustle*

Laito: Haah~ Your skin is so soft and thin~

Fufufu I can see your veins right through it. It’s like they’re inviting me for a meal~

Maria: No...!

Laito: Aaah~... Hm... nn... gulp...Haah...

Wow... this is different from... anything I’ve tried before...

Hah... nn... gulp... nn...

Maria: (Ugh... It hurts...!)

(It feels so weird... It’s like... I can feel my blood moving through my body...)

(I hate this... I really hate it...)

Ayato: Hm... gulp... nn... gulp...

Yui: A-Ayato-kun... That’s enough...!

Ayato: Haha is it really? You look like you’re enjoying it though~

Yui: N-No way...!

Maria: (Yui-san... I wonder how long... She’s been dealing with this...)

(Ah... My head...)

Laito: Gulp... gulp... Haah~...

Nfu! Quite a unique taste, I have to say~

...

Hm?

Maria: ...?

Laito: ... Now what is this...?

Ayato: What’s the problem?

Maria: -!!

Laito: This blood... It’s purple...

Ayato: Huh!?

Yui: Eh?

Maria: (SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT, I FORGOT ABOUT THIS!!)

???: What is all the commotion here?

--CG fades

Ayato: Haah? Who the hell are you!?

???: I am Reinhart, the new school doctor.

Laito: Eeeh? What happened to the female doctor we used to have?

Reinhart: Apparently she had an urgent situation, which forced her to leave her post. Therefore, I am replacing her from now on.

Laito: An urgent situation, you say...?

Reinhart: Anyway, what is going on here? These ladies look extremely pale. Are you feeling alright?

Yui: Y-Yeah...

Maria: Just a little dizzy. It’s not a problem.

Reinhart: Hmm... dizzy, you say... Maybe you should come to the infirmary with me for a check up.

Maria: -!!

(If I allow that, he’ll see my purple blood too!)

Oh no no no! I really am fine! I probably just need to eat something to feel better!

Besides, free period is almost over! I should hurry up and go back to class!

Reinhart: Are you sure? It would not take much of your time and could give you a note so your teacher allows you back in.

Laito: You are awfully insistant for a teacher...

Ayato: Yeah! Cut it out already! She said she’s fine!

Reinhart: My my... I didn’t mean to be inconvenient. I am simply doing my job, making sure my students are in their best shape~

Maria: Thank you so much, but I really am fine.

Still, I will make sure to inform you if I do need assistance.

Reinhart: I see... In that case, I will let go for now.

However, I do hope you visit me soon in the infirmary. I would like to see if you look any better in the next few days.

Maria: Yes sir!

(What a kind teacher! I like how he seems to care so much about his students!)

(Also, thanks to him, I was able to escape Laito before he could suck anymore of my blood.)

(I’m glad it all worked out in the end!)

--End of Dark 3

[<--Dark 2] [Dark 4-->]

¹Ayato calls Maria フェイクブルー(Feikuburu), which is basically Fake blue with japanese pronunciation, due to her half blue painted hair.

[nancypullen]

Snowy Sunday Morning

It's a brisk 25 degrees outside and the sky is bright, cornflower blue. Sparkling snow is still blanketing my little world and it's absolutely beautiful. I'm keeping the birdfeeders full and putting out corn for squirrels. It delights me when they visit, and hopefully it helps them. Right now there are cardinals, blue jays, sparrows, chickadees, juncos, and more - all flitting around and filling their tiny bellies. Even better, the neighborhood cats are staying indoors during this cold snap so the birds aren't risking their lives at our feeders. That's actually an issue. You know I'm a cat lover, my two girls are precious to me. But my cats are indoor cats. I'd love to have a screened porch that would allow them to be out but not out . There ae two cats that live a couple of houses down, I call them Stanley and Leslie, who spend a lot of time hanging around our bird feeders and occasionally getting lucky. I hate that. I know that the cats are just being cats, but I also know they have food bowls at home. If they were eating to survive I'd close my eyes, hum "Circle of Life" and make my peace with it. Sadly, Stanley and Leslie are just serial killers who love the thrill. I don't know how to stop it. Everything I read says that the only solution is to remove the bird feeders. I really, really don't want to do that. Having that little bit of wildlife in the backyard keeps me sane. I neeeeed it. Remember our wonderful Willie in Mt. Juliet? He was our timeshare cat and I loved him so. He never bothered birds. We had feeders in the front and back and we were even lucky enough to have nesting pairs in our trees every spring. House finches nested in the ferns hanging on the front porch. Honestly, that always seemed kind of dumb to me because they'd panic every time we came in or out the front door. There were acres of woods behind us and they thought the porch was their best option? Anyway, my point was that Willie never bothered the birds (probably because he ate at several houses each day) so I've never had to solve this problem. How do I convince the neighbor's cats to stay home? I could anonymously gift the neighbor with a bird feeder. They don't appear to have one which means they probably don't want one. Any suggestions are welcome. In other news, I should probably address my last blog post. I hope it didn't seem negative. I like my job at the library, and my coworkers truly couldn't be nicer. I have no plans to leave, I'm not a quitter (unless it's a diet, I quit one of those every week). But I'll be honest and say that the thought of not being able to travel is a big deal to me. I'm 60, my clock is ticking, I want to see and do so much before I can't see and do anymore. Given a choice between this job and traveling the world with Mickey, I think we all know what I'd choose. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it, hopefully there's a solution for that too.

Today I need to make a pot of soup, wash my hair (it's a process), and ready my clothes for the coming week. Yesterday I cleaned like I was hired help and the house looks and smells wonderful. Mickey kept things tidy all week, but they don't have our internal check list, ya' know? Wipe Baseboards, wipe the cupboards down, clean the glass, swish the toilet bowls and clean the seats, wipe all the sinks, spray the bed linens, and so on. It's a never-ending list that I'd work my way through over a period of days. Wednesdays were always bathroom cleaning days, Thursdays were laundry and baseboards, etc. Now I'm cramming that all into a day. Ugh. Women do a lot of invisible work. There I go, complaining again. That's not who I want to be. Aren't I lucky I have a home to clean? Yep. On a positive note, I've just started doing wall pilates. I don't know if it's for old people or everyone, but it feels so good. I do a few simple moves, no doubt there are much harder levels than what I'm doing, but gosh, I feel so loose and stretched afterward. I do my little morning walk and then about fifteen minutes of wall pilates. I'm not setting any records, but it sure feels good. My word for 2024 is power, I feel like this is a move in that direction too. Can't embrace your power if you're tired and weak, right? Alright, I'm going to get busy. I've got soup to make and a week to prepare for...Monday is looming! I think my days off this week are Friday and Sunday, so that's not going to be fun. Better start it off right by getting ready today. I hope that this coming week is good for you. I hope that something unexpected delights you. I hope that you have at least one bout of laughter that brings you to tears. I hope that you have a delicious meal. I hope that someone makes you feel appreciated. More than anything, I hope you have peace. Stay safe, stay well. XOXO, Nancy

[superhero--imagines]

Part 1 Here! / Part 2 Here!

A/N: I think The next post will be the last one for this series!

“Did you...have fun tonight?” The way Dick haltingly asks causes laughter to bubble out of your mouth

“I can say that was nothing like any family dinner I’ve ever seen-“

And if that isn’t the truth, for one - even though you’ve heard of all of Bruce Wayne’s adopted children, you didn’t think there would be so many.

Dick’s the oldest, well officially anyway. Barbara Gordon, as in Commissioner Gordon’s daughter, was at dinner too. Apparently she and Dick had a brief stint where they dated. You’re guessing it was before Dick realized he likes boys - or maybe he likes both? You’ve never expressly asked him about using sexuality.

He’s got three little brothers, the youngest and the second oldest seem to have the highest predisposition towards violence, mostly to each other. And then the second youngest, Tim, he seems to be barely held together, mostly through caffeine and anxiety.

Cassandra from class was there too, as well as Stephanie, which was nice to see. They ducked out halfway through, which should have been your queue to duck out too.

Unfortunately you didn’t, which resulted in a rather poorly placed tomato soup stain at the edge of your dress’s hem.

“I like your brothers though” you say with a smile. You did like his brothers. The youngest, Damian, stared at you for seven very long minutes, before saying-

“How do you feel about animals?” When you told him you loved them he seemed pleased. Also, as a college student, you vibe with Tim. Though you do think someone should cut him off and have him switch to herbal tea. Jason seems cool enough, he just looked at you for a second before giving Dick a wolffish grin.

“Alfred was nice too, and it was fun seeing your- uh...Bruce again” You almost called Bruce his Dad. Bruce is nice, but he’s still a bigot. It was nice meeting Alfred, who showed you many pictures of a nine year old Dick Grayson, most of which were him doing acrobatics around the house. Honestly you thought it was adorable, but you put an end to it since Dick was blushing so fiercely that you thought he might combust.

It really was a lot of fun.

You shiver, the cold night air brushing against your bare arms. You’re standing in front of your building, saying your final goodbyes until you scamper off to your apartment, getting ready for another week of classes.

“Here, take my jacket-“ He’s already tugging it off. Before you can protest, it’s settled over your shoulders. The effect is almost instant, tendrils of warmth seeping into your shoulders and upper body.

It smells like him, you think.

Like- like his expensive cologne, with notes of amber and moss- but also like soap, like clean laundry, and something else, something sweet.

“Cotton Candy” You murmur to yourself. He probably eats it by the gallon sized bag , you think with a giggle.

“T-thank you-“ your eyes trail from the sleeve of his suit jacket to Dick, who’s got a pink tint fanning across his face, blue eyes flicking from the ground to your eyes.

“Thank you for coming with me tonight, and being so kind and considerate and lovely” and then Dick does something completely unexpected, he leans in closer and presses a kiss to your forehead. Your heart leaps in your chest, his sickly sweet Cotten candy scent floods your senses.

You would just have to tilt you head up slightly to catch his lips in yours. He smells so sweet, it almost makes you dizzy. It’s like being drunk, you think.

You want to smell him more.

“Thank you for being so accepting.” His words are like a bucket of cold water being dumped over your head. You feel like you’ve sobered right up.

“Of course, we’re friends aren’t we?” You offer Dick a smile, but you know it’s probably strained. You were so caught up in the moment, you forget he’s already in love with someone.

All of his feelings, all of his kisses, they’re reserved for Nightwing.

“I’ll see you in class tomorrow” You call out, before walking into your building, feeling Dick’s lingering

So you like Dick.

F*ck.

You’re on the balcony of your apartment, nursing a glass of hot tea in the late night- or would it be early hours of the morning? You can make out the sky beginning to lighten into a lighter blue. Great so you stayed up all night thinking about your feelings.

Your body is going to love you for this.

How did this even happen? Were you just so focused on not getting a crush on either of his sisters that you didn’t see this coming. Ugh why dick of all people? Yeah, sure he’s got those sparkly eyes, and that permanent rosy blush, not to mention that lopsided grin-

Okay so you know why you’re falling in love with him. But there’s no point in nursing these blooming feelings not when-

“Hey do you have any sugar?” The masked crusader asks from beside you. That dazzling smile that makes people everywhere swoon aimed at you.

No point in nursing feelings for Dick, when the object of his affections is standing next to you, drinking earl grey out of your pink “Namaste in bed” mug.

“Or not- no big deal, I love my hot leaf juice with or without sugar.” He adds hastily, taking a loud sip as if to show you how much he’s enjoying your hospitality. You must have let your annoyance get to your face. You sigh, it’s not his fault that Dick loves him.

You’re the outsider here.

“So what are you doing out so late?” You ask, just wanting to make some small talk. But Nightwing lights up like you just offered him a million dollars. He’s so friendly it’s almost annoying, not unlike another certain dark haired golden boy you know.

“I’m always up, fighting crime, patrolling the streets-“ you never realized but being a vigilante is kind of a lot of work huh? You wonder if Nightwing has a day job, he looks so young though- maybe he’s still in school.

“The real questions is why are you still up?” His question is punctuated with a slurp of his tea.

“Just thinking I guess” you shrug, taking a sip of your own tea. You’re not about to tell Nightwing you realized you have feelings for his boyfriend.

“Thinking about the person you love?” It feels like you were just struck by an arrow. Nightwing’s mouth stretches. “No way, I was right?” You can almost picture the sparkle in his eyes behind his domino mask. You wonder what color eyes Nightwing has.

Probably a boring brown.

“Well who’s the lucky individual?” Noting your hesitance, Dick starts to get a little nervous. It hurts a little to think you don’t return his feelings. But there’s something about the shy look on your face, the way your eyes avert to your cup of tea, that’s just hopelessly adorable. What he wouldn’t give to have you look at him that way.

And then, a terrifying thought occurs to Dick.

“Don’t tell me you’re in love with Bruce Wayne?” He’s got absolutely no chance if you’re into older men. No unless you’re willing to wait ten years or so.

Then the most amazing thing happens- your mouth opens and laughter spills out. He’s heard you laugh, but never like this. So loud, and almost desperate.

And then, you do something else he’s never seen before. Somewhere along the way those loud laughs transformed into equally loud sobs. Your mouth pinched tight as tears spill from the corners of your eyes.

A hand curls over your eyes in an attempt to cover your face. This is mortifying, you’re basically crying in front of your romantic rival, completely vulnerable.

You’re about to mutter out an excuse, how you’re not usually like this, that you must be close to your period or something. When you feel a pair of arms wrap around your shoulder, your face pressed against Nightwing’s chest.

“It’s okay, everything’s going to be okay” he murmurs reassuringly, his glove covered hand rubbing soothing circles into your back. And even though you were on the edge of recompsure, you’re thrust back into despair. Your sobs leaving you almost breathless as Nightwing continues to hold you.

“Tell me what’s wrong, so I can help” Dick whispers. Whatever it is, it must be serious. He’s never seen you cry, not when you were a hostage in that bank robbery, or held at gun point at that restaurant, not even when Damian was basically integrating you all night.

“I love someone, who’s never going to love me back” you manage between sobs, and Nightwing only shushes you. His hand traveling to your hair. Cradling your head against his chest.

He smells so good, like amber and moss, and something sickeningly sweet- like cotton candy.

He smells like Dick.

And that seems to soothe you a bit, along with Nightwing’s gentle warmth.

“Don’t worry, everything’s going to be fine, I promise”

“Man, and I thought things were going really well between you guys” Stephanie says, her hand threading through her golden curls, head tilting back so it rests against the back of his couch.

“Yeah, me too” Dick admits with a sigh, he’s sitting with his knees propped up on the floor, his back against the wall.

Cassandra doesn’t say anything, her eyes are trained on the coffee table, their masks collectively strewn across it.

“So what are you going to do?” Stephanie asks, and Dick sighs again.

“What can I do honestly, they love someone else” he shrugs, he plays it off like it’s not a big deal. But the thought of your with someone else... it makes his stomach hurt.

“Just because she loves someone else right now...doesn’t mean she will forever” Those are the first words Cass has uttered all night, and Dick and Stephanie are both looking at her with wide eyes.

Stephanie’s already hyping him up, saying there’s no way their Dick’s going to lose to some no-face-extra, like your love is some sort of competition to be won.

And Cassandra’s only encouraging her, with energetic nods and the occasional ‘exactly’

But all Dick can think about is the way you felt in his arms, and how small you seemed as sobs wracked through your entire body. How deep your sadness felt, like he might be sucked in any moment too, tears falling from beneath his domino mask.

He hates whoever it is that made you feel that way. If it was him- if you loved him instead, he’d make sure you were never sad, he’d give you everything he was and everything he had if it meant you might smile for him.

He doesn’t want to change your mind, your feelings don’t work like that. All he knows is that he loves you- and what you need right now, is a friend. Someone who-

“Just wants to see them happy” Dick mumbles.

Taglist: @adenspolaroids @libraryoffandomsuniverse @jeneeangella @chyume @masked-mushroom

[ch3m1cally1mbalanc3d]

Nightmare Room

Authors note: Inspired by @sleepyvirgilprompts this post

Warning(s): Nightmares, cursing/language, slight unsympathetic Patton, Logan, and Roman in flashbacks (before Virgil was accepted), some angst

Ship(s): Platonic/romantic prinxiety (you decide)

Authors note: The flashbacks (italics) take place right after Virgil moved in with the light sides, so no one knows his name and he goes by 'Anxiety.' Present time (normal text) takes place after he's been accepted and told them his name.

- 3/17/21

*Virgil/Anxiety's pov*

I hate my fucking room. Well, I actually love it up until I have to sleep, then I hate it. See the thing is, my room just happens to have this really amazing feature that causes horrible nightmares. Every. Single. Night. You can't escape it. I mean, you can just not sleep ever but that's pretty much impossible.

See, my room back with the dark sides didn't do this, but it did some other really bad things that I'm thankful I don't have to experience anymore. I would rather just have nightmares than all that other stuff. Ugh, it gives me shivers just thinking about it.

Now, after I first moved in I believed that my room had changed. Once I started getting nightmares every night I brushed it off as them just occurring because I'm Anxiety, but that changed when I fell asleep in the commons one night.

-Flashback-

I'd gotten woken up by Patton at around 7:30 am. "Hey kiddo, don't you think it would be better if you slept in your room?" He questioned, sitting beside me as I sat up and started to wake up.

"U-uh yeah I g-guess so," I stuttered out, rubbing the back of my neck in embarrassment that I'd accidentally fallen asleep on the couch. "It was an accident, I swear I didn't mean to. I was on my phone and I must've fallen asleep, sorry. I'll go up to my room," I stood up, grabbing my phone from the floor where it must've fallen, and walked over to the stairs.

"It's alright kiddo!" Patton flashed a smile at me that wasn't completely honest, but I sent him a small one back in return so he didn't get angry or sad or anything. I can tell they all don't like it when I'm down there so of course, they wouldn't like me sleeping down there.

Once in my room, I realized that I hadn't had a nightmare, making me very confused. Every other night I had one so why didn't I last night? Then I connected the dots. Every time I fell asleep in my room I get a nightmare. I fell asleep on the couch last night and didn't have one, meaning, my room makes you have nightmares. Great.

-Present time-

Since I figured out about my room I've attempted to fall asleep in the commons multiple times. Sometimes I was successful about sleeping down there the whole night until someone woke me up and gave me shit about being down there.

-Yet another flashback around the same time period as the other-

One night I decided that I'd try to sleep in the common room. I'd carefully waited until I was sure that everyone else had gone to their rooms and fallen asleep. After I was sure of that I grabbed a blanket from my bed and quietly snuck downstairs, trying to make as little noise as possible. I laid down on the couch, snuggling up in the blanket, and fell asleep shortly thereafter.

—

I was rudely woken up by Roman standing over me and shaking me back and forth. I slapped his hands away and stretched.

"What?" I asked, morning delusion clear.

Roman scoffed, "What do you mean what? You were asleep on the couch when we came down this morning!" I looked at him, confusion clear on my face, not quite picking up on the memo that he didn't want me downstairs.

"So what?" I asked, wanting to know what his issue was. He scoffed yet again, putting his hand on his hip dramatically.

"You sleep in your room. That's why it's there. You don't sleep down here on the couch! Plus, I'm sure your room is way more comfortable than this couch," Roman motioned to the couch and he wasn't even trying to cover up the annoyance in his voice. If only he knew.

Logan looked up from his book where he was sat on one of the chairs and stated, "Roman's right. Your room would be a much more comfortable resting place than the couch. Sleeping in your room would also decrease the amount that you influence Thomas."

Ouch, that last part stung. My eyes widened slightly in the realization of what they were trying to tell me. 'Go away Anxiety, we don't want you around.'

I hesitated on telling them about my room but I knew it wouldn't do any good as they didn't care one bit. I switched my eyes between Roman, Logan, and then Patton who was in the kitchen, looking out and obviously hearing our conversation.

Sighing, I stretched once more before saying, "Sorry, I'll leave," I got up and grabbed my blanket, and made my way to the stairs. All three of them watched me in silence as I trudged up the stairs to my room, holding my head down and the blanket close to my chest the whole time.

-Present time-

*Roman's pov*

I walk downstairs and see the emo sat on the couch, scrolling through something on his phone. Looking around I see that no one else is down here.

"Good evening, Virgil," I say before walking into the kitchen. I hear a muffled reply and I see him flop down on his side, attention still attached to his phone. I get a snack and open it, starting to eat when I get an idea.

Walking back into the living room I state my suggestion, "Hey, V?" He looks up from his phone and shoots me a questioning eyebrow. "Do you wanna watch some Disney movies with me?"

Virgil thinks about it for a second, turning off his phone and sit up, placing his elbows on his knees and resting his head in his hands. "Only if we can watch Tim Burton movies too." I let out a sigh, although giving away that I don't actually care what movie we watch with my smile.

I walk towards Virgil until I'm standing exactly in front of him before pulling him off the couch, and he lets out a squeak in surprise. "W-what are you doing, Princey?" He asks as I drag him upstairs, practically carrying him. I don't answer but instead, open the door to his room and close it with my foot before walking over to where all of his movies are.

Virgil just stands there for a second before going to sit on his bed. "What do we start with?" I ask, turning to face him from where I'm crouched by his shelves holding his movies. He had propped up some pillows behind him, leaning back against them with one leg up and the other lying down. He just shrugs so I decide myself, "Corpse Bride it is then," I state as I grab the movie, put it in the blue-ray player, grab the remote, and lay down next to Virgil on his bed.

We get comfortable, pillows behind us and only one of his bedside lamps on. The movie plays through, and I have to admit, it's really cute watching him get all excited and happy. He's adorable. Virgil lets me pick the next movie, I can only assume because he gave me another shrug as an answer. I picked Brave and didn't hesitate to sing along to some of the songs dramatically, causing Virgil to giggle and I could tell he was trying to hide his blush with his hands.

Next thing I know we've watched four movies and it's inching towards midnight. I can tell that Virgil's getting sleepy by his eyes drooping, and I can't blame him, I'm quite tired myself. I didn't notice that he fell asleep until Cinderella was almost over. He had gone lax against his black comforter, and he just looks so cute when he's sleeping I couldn't help myself from staring with a small smile on my face.

The movie ends a few minutes later and I don't notice until I hear the end credits rolling. I walk back over to his movies and put Cinderella away, turning off his tv and returning his remote in the process. I hesitate as I walk towards the door, turning around to see Virgil still fast asleep on his bed. I sigh, out of tiredness or happiness I couldn't tell you, and I make my way over to his bed.

I delicately pick him up bridal style, pulling back his comforter and purple sheets, arranging the pillow so he's comfortable before lying him down and pulling the covers back over him. I walk over to the other side of his bed, reaching to turn off his bedside lamp before I get an idea. Surely he won't mind if I sleep with him for one night, right?

Snapping my fingers I change into gray sweatpants and a plain red shirt before carefully pulling back the covers and sliding in. I reach over and turn off the lamp, leaving the room in complete darkness. Damn, it sure is creepy in here. I guess it suits him as he is "dark and edgy."

I curl up next to him, slowly wrapping my arms around his waist, encasing him in a hug. I come to a stop when he starts to shift, but he only hugs me back, resting his head in the crook of my neck. I would be so embarrassed right now if the room wasn't pitch black because I'm sure my face is as red as the apple Snow White ate. Gradually, I drift off to sleep with Virgil in my arms.

--

I jolt awake, fear rushing through my body. Wait, I thought Virgil was the anxious trait? Oh right! I slept in his room last night. Turning in the bed as I hear shuffling only to find Virgil slowly waking up himself.

Maybe I should tell him. Or not, it might freak him out and I would never want to do that.

The strange thing is, I had horrible nightmares last night. And when I say horrible, I mean horrible. They were nothing like I'd ever experienced before. Yes, I've had my fair share of nightmares over the years but they've never been this bad! They were so disturbing and gory it makes me want to cry and puke at the same time just thinking about them.

Virgil turns his body so he's laying on his side facing me before slowly opening his eyes and mumbling out, "Morning, Princey."

"Good morning, princess. How did you sleep?" I asked, trying to see if our dilemmas were the same.

He yawned before answering, "Oh, same as usual." He rubbed his eyes, closing them again and snuggling into the blanket. Holy shit he's adorable!

I nodded my head, not knowing how to respond. I might as well ask him. What harm will it do? "Hey, V?" I ask, getting a hum in response. "Um, I uh had some pretty horrific nightmares last night and I have no clue as to why I did."

Virgil's eyes shot open, looking at me in fear. "Are you okay?" He asked, panicked.

I laughed, "Oh yes I'm quite alright just it was unusual that's all."

He sighed, "Yeah I'm really sorry about that." I shot him a confused look, quirking my eyebrow.

"Why would you be sorry? It isn't your fault, it happens to everyone." I assure him.

"No, Princey, you don't understand," Virgil looked me in the eyes before continuing, "It is my fault. My room does this all the time. You literally could not sleep in here without having nightmares. It's impossible, I've tried. Trust me on this, I've been sleeping in here for a few years."

My eyes widen in realization. Do you mean that all these years he's had to suffer? He's had to deal with nightmares every night and none of us knew? Oh my goodness, my poor baby. That's probably why he refuses to sleep or gets very little of it and why he's always tired! Or- holy shit.

This is why he was always trying to sleep downstairs in the commons. I already feel so guilty about being mean to him for the longest time but now I feel even worse knowing what he had to go through. And we drove him out! Virgil tried sleeping down there multiple times but we always told him not to and to go away and he did. He went back to his room to have nightmares. Oh my god, what have I done?

I look him in the eyes and apologize, "Virgil I'm so sorry! I had no idea and I kept driving you out for years! I always told you to leave and not sleep downstairs not knowing that you'd have to go to your room and suffer if you tried to sleep! I'm so sorry!" Virgil was making hard eye contact with me and I could tell he was searching my face for a lie or sarcasm. "I'm serious, Virge. I truly am sorry. You don't need to forgive me, I understand."

I reach my arms out to give him a hug. He hesitates for a second before giving in and I wrap my arms around him tight. He slides his arms around my chest and squeezes me. "It's alright Ro, you didn't know and you didn't really like me back then. Plus, I should've told you so it's my fault," He said, muffled by my chest.

I pull back from the hug, looking down at him as he looks up at me. "Oh no sweetie, you don't need to be sorry. This isn't your fault at all," I bring him back into the hug and he mumbles out an 'okay.'

We snuggle for a bit before I get an idea and suggest it. "Hey, do you want to talk to Logan about this? I'm sure he can find a way to fix it for you."

Virgil thinks for a minute before nodding, "Yeah, but only if you do it with me."

I let out a light laugh, "Of course, my emo." We snuggle for a while before getting breakfast and continuing on with our day.

--

Virgil and I talk to Logan and he fixes Virgil's room for him so there are no more nightmares. After both he and Patton find out they both apologize immensely for what they did in the past. Virgil forgives us all, Patton bringing us all into a group hug.

I make sure to drill into Virgil's brain that if he ever feels scared or doesn't want to sleep in his room, he's always welcome to sleep in mine. I also just offer my room to him at any other point in the day, making sure he feels loved and safe.

God, if only I knew.

(2463 words) I posted this on my wattpad too (@/virgilstarantula) on my Sanders Sides oneshot book but wanted to post it here so that @sleepyvirgilprompts could see it. I hope you like it! rawr xD

[villa-kulla]

Fic Writer Review

Tagged by @fontainebleau22, thanks for the tag, sorry for the delay!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

26 at the moment.

2. What’s your total AO3 wordcount?

722 309. I’d have thought it would be more considering how long some of mine seem to get, although looking at other people’s answers to this meme, I guess 26 isn’t really a huge number!

3. How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

My first fic ever was a little Lord of the Rings experiment for an exchange thing. But my first proper dip into writing for a fandom would have been Breaking Bad, where I wrote for a couple of years before it felt like my ideas had run their course. Then there was a Kingsman fic, and then Mag7 where - similarly to BrBa - wrote feverishly for a couple years until it felt like the well had been plumbed. Oh yeah and then jumped into the Marvel fandom to drop one Marvel fic before immediately jumping back out lol.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

So the Marvel fic has officially just become my most kudoed fic, which is kind of hilarious considering it was a SUEZ! CANAL! FIC! But in my opinion, a good one lol. So yeah, it would be 1. The SamBucky Suez Canal fic, 2. The Kingsman soccer AU, 3. Desert Sand, 4. Chisolm’s 7, and 5. Blue Devils. That last one surprises me, but I guess it was an early one for the fandom, so I think it became an automatic read.

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not

I do! It’s possible I’ve missed some here and there, but generally I try to get them all.

6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

I don’t think any of them! While my fics definitely include angst, ideally it’s still in a fun way, or at minimum, bittersweet? I don’t generally want the last taste in a reader’s mouth to be angst. ALTHOUGH. I really really wanted to include an epilogue to the selkie fic that’s kind of angsty. Basically the story would end, but then many years later we’d see an old man get off a bus on the coastal road, carrying a suitcase. He’d be wearing a suit, clearly back from many years travelling. He’d walk to the coast, back over a hill where there’d once been a little fishing cottage, long since torn down. He’d walk down to the beach and into a little cove where he’d kneel by the water he knew better than anyone. Opening the suitcase he’d take out a box which he’d then empty into the ocean, ashes spreading across the water. He’d take out a folded bundle of cloth and wrap it around his shoulders. Then he’d dive into the water, disappearing into the waves, leaving nothing but an empty suitcase behind him, and a folded pile of clothes.

I loved that ending but I’m still not 100% sure if it was keeping in tone with the actual ending, so I left it out. Maybe one day I’ll go and add it as en extra chapter snippet.

7. Do you write crossovers? If so what’s the craziest one you’ve written?

I don’t know if I’d call them ‘crossovers’ exactly, although I did stick Goody and Billy into a Some Like it Hot ‘jazz band on a train’ situation, and I also did a Breaking Bad one that used some elements of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Those feel more like ‘AUs’ though. I like situational crossovers, but I’ve never been super into fics where characters from different fandoms actually interact.

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Thankfully not. The most off-putting comment I’ve gotten was someone who - despite being very complimentary - decided to make a full-on laundry list all the anachronisms in a chapter lmao, like what. Stuff like "interesting that this character used this expression when XYZ would only been invented 10 years later!” etc. I’m positive they didn’t realize how it came off, but still, that was kind of hilarious in its.....obliviousness lol. It was special.

9. Do you write smut? If so what kind?

I do. And I guess I’ve done the full spectrum of ‘fade to black’ to ‘describe every bead of sweat in pearlescent detail’. It really depends on what the fic calls for! I’ve done some I’m quite proud of tbh, but there are others I’d like to go back and have another stab at, just because they felt kinda cookie-cutter.

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of!

11. Have you ever had a fic translated?

There’ve been a couple! I can’t remember which ones specially, but I had some people asking to translate some Breaking Bad ones, and I think a Mag7 one too. I remember someone messaging to ask permission like “We love your fics in Russia!” and that was a very sweet and wild thing to hear.

12. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes, I wrote one with @yoporkchopsandwiches! Our Victorian opium dens Breaking Bad AU lol. I was just thinking of that recently actually and remembering how fun it was to read what the other wrote! We plotted out most of it together, and then took turns writing chapters or scenes. But of course while writing you come up with other details or ideas, so we’d then present the new chapter to the other with all the new bits added. And it was so fun to read what the other came up with like ‘omg no way didn’t see that coming/good idea!’ and then picking up their idea from there. In that sense it was almost like improv but for writers.

13. What’s your all-time favourite ship?

That I’ve written? I think I’ve had the most fun with Goodnight/Billy, partly for the time period, partly for the dynamic, but mostly for the plausibility. While I really enjoyed writing BrBa, it felt more like it came from enthusiasm for the show, not the central ship lol. Don’t get me wrong, the chemistry and its potential was extremely fun to write in a fic setting, but I don’t find I actually shipped it while watching the show itself. Whereas it’s been nice with Mag7 to write for a ship that’s actually....more believable lol. 

14. What’s a wip that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

Ugh I can’t beLIEVE I have an unfinished fic up on ao3 lol it haunts me. I was sure I was done with Goodnight/Billy, and then early quarantine last year I had a train robbers AU idea, so I posted a couple chapters. But I don’t think my heart was super in it, I was more just messing around with the idea. I don’t want to delete it, but I’m also not super motivated to finish it haha, but we’ll see what happens. But tbh I like the poem summary better than the fic itself:P

15. What are your writing strengths?

Plotting, keeping things moving, and making stories feel visual maybe? They’re almost all movies in my head anyways, so I think I have good instincts for ‘cinematic moments’.

16. What are your writing weaknesses?

I think I’m a little lazy, and also ‘end-product oriented’. In some ways it’s helpful to picture the whole fic before you write it, but sometimes it results in some scenes feeling slightly slapdash because I’m just trying to get them out to move onto the next. Like ‘everyone did everything I wanted to in this scene? Great, next.’ I could stand to ‘stop and smell the roses’ more while I write, and actually see what else I can do to improve a scene.

(also if I use a word once it sticks in my head I end up using it like 5 other times in a scene and don’t notice lol, I need to stop that)

17. What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

All for it! Depends how it’s done though. I personally find long scenes of dialogue where you have to constantly jump down to the author’s notes for the translations to be distracting. I like when it’s integrated more naturally where actual translations aren’t super important. Like in River Grit, Billy overhears this little exchange between Goodnight and his childhood nanny:

“Ah c’est vrai, mon petit Bonsoir! J’en peux pas le croire!” she cried out and laughed as she embraced Goody. Billy realized with a start that he actually recognized one of the words: ‘Bonsoir’. Goodnight. (insert brief flashback of Goody teaching him the nickname) / “Ma Serafine,” Goodnight said with a laugh. “C’est vrai que tu ne vieillis pas. Tu vas me rendre jaloux, heh?” / Billy had no idea what Goodnight was saying, but he sure as hell recognized Goodnight’s tone for flattery, and it was confirmed when the old woman laughed and smacked his arm.

What they’re actually saying is: “Oh it’s true, my little Goodnight! I can’t believe it!” / “My Serafine, it’s true you never age. You’re going to make me jealous”. But it doesn’t matter because this fic is from Billy’s POV so it’s about how he experiences the language around him, which is why I wouldn’t have included a translation for the reader. If you understand it then it’s a bonus, but the words themselves aren’t really the point! 

18. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

That lil Lord of the Rings fic.

19. What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

Hmm for Mag7 I’ve always liked River Grit and love how it turned out. I also think Ashes feels very complete as a fic and I liked the flashback format. And while it’s not my favourite fic, in hindsight I’m impressed with the Kingsman football fic and how I had to write about 5 different soccer games and make them all feel different and exciting, and not just some variation of ‘He kicked the ball!’ I’m really pleased with how those sequences all turned out.

La fin! Not tagging anyone this time, but please feel free to do this if you see it! I love when people just take initiative to do these things without waiting for a tag (also please tag me in it if you do, ‘cause I love reading these things lol)

[abcd-adventures]

2020 Books!

I am LOVING how many of you are doing end-of-year book posts! I love books so much and I also love stealing to-read ideas from others! ;) If you’d like to be Goodreads friends so I can be further reading inspired by you, this is me! However, please be advised that my rating system is absolute garbage! WHY AM I SO BAD AT IT!? I should institute a 2 week waiting period before rating any book, but of course I don’t and my rating system is awful. *sigh* But, with that disclaimer, we should still be friends! :) 

It is always SO HARD to pick a top 10 and I’m not even entirely sure I’m satisfied with the ones I settled on because I read a lot of books I really, really loved this year! But, whatever--top ten are in blue squares (I’m counting the Broken Earth trilogy as one).

It is NOT difficult to select the ones that I do NOT recommend. I usually don’t finish books that I don’t like at all, but there are a couple on this list that I read either for book club or because I must have hated myself at that time and decided to still finish despite them being crap. Those are: 

Three Women: It’s billed as being about women’s sexuality or desire or something like that. Instead, it’s just three profoundly depressing stories about three women that happen to involve sex.

The Furious Hours: It’s like the author really just wanted to write a biography about Harper Lee but tried to pass it off as a true crime book--it was like two different books in one and neither of them were particularly good.

Someone We Know: I feel like I’m pretty lenient with thrillers, but this one just made me roll my eyes. 

There are a few others in there that were “meh”--not a ton, but a few--but those three ^ were just ugh-give-me-that-time-of-my-life-back bad.

What were some of your favorite reads from 2020!!?

[floggingink]

OH HERE WE GO LADIES IT’S RIVERDALE, CHAPTER EIGHTY: “Purgatorio”

I’m tuning in to be VERY entertained on the grounds that I missed almost the entirety of S4 and will not understand anything

we open with an incredible analogue comparing the football team to the Army, as men do construct rituals: football players get blown into the sky, etc., in a heartrending mash-up of Archie’s innocence + the American ideal/expectations/pipeline of masculinity

Archie Company is decked out appropriately to storm Hürtgen Forest

that art direction trope where a character’s hearing goes EEEEEEEEEEEEEE after an explosion……...delightful

the Vixens and friends cheering him on from the sidelines as if Archie can only process his unprocessable present through the lens of his past………...hits the spot

distressingly wood-based rifles for our purposes

Archie > Dawson: I don’t mind telling you I felt emotion upon Archie hoisting his war buddy over his shoulders to that quadruple-toned “Chivalric Archie Using His Strength for Good” tune, like when he broke his whole hand busting Cheryl out of Sweetwater River

WHEN HE SAW HIRAM LODGE, I’M TELLING YOU! 

Hiram’s dragon-scale gloves? absolutely savory; he would

“Yonkers” is one of those New York place names I don’t totally buy is real (Poughkeepsie is another)

the sepia-toned light in this hospital room rings true judging by all the Captain America fanfiction I’ve read; I also like the mint-colored hand towels draped on Archie’s bedframe bought, one assumes, using the Department of Defense’s Kohl’s Cash

Archie made Sergeant, which is the best ranking for a fictional character: important enough that they can be a leader, get into trouble; low-profile enough that you don’t have to write them in the room making terrible decisions; probably won’t die immediately, as a Captain or Private might be

Fifth period is AP English: Archie reads A Farewell to Arms to Corporal Jackson, a WWI novel by Hemingway that Jug definitely turned him onto

Christ, Archie looks good in that on-leave jacket thing

I like Jackson’s subtle graph paper-print hospital gown

Gay?!: was Jackson in love with Archie? is he gonna bus to Riverdale once he’s off his pain meds? RAS, is that you in there?

God you know I love that haunted-ass Exorcist wooden bench bus light lighting

how long has the WW been relocated under Pop’s??? I do NOT know what happened to La Bonne Nuit

Sexy, aesthetic Southside: Fangs’ hair? his Tony Stark glasses? the girls’ “I’m a Slave 4 U” Burmese pythons? Toni’s headdress and immaculate glossed lip? 

Sixth period is Intro to Film: the only part of From Dusk till Dawn I’ve seen is Salma Hayek putting her toe in Quentin Tarantino’s mouth but judging from that I figure I’d like the rest 

The female gaze: Jesus Sweet Pea still looks good

Toni’s stage is flanked by twin pillars of melting candles and I would like someone to track those down for my bathroom

if they lay one hand on Pop Tate…

Betty appears to be, on her own, running the FBI training course. Betty is such a freak

Betty’s FBI-appointed psychologist is “Dr. Starling,” wears a great yellow blouse; Betty eats what appears to be a mini-sized Milky Way

her blond FBI trainer-boyfriend (uh) Glen appears to be an unholy fusion of Jimmi Simpson and that one actor with brown hair and really sharp light eyes whose acting credits I can’t think of right now, you know who I’m talking about (not the guy from Vampire Diaries)

I quite like her patterned blouse and I hate his yellow (gold?!) and blue tie

Please protect Betty: obviously we stan the Silence of the Lambs shit even as it remains infuriating Bryan Fuller couldn’t get his hands in it

Betty’s cat’s crying was so disturbingly baby-like that I had to leave the room once I realized it was in fact a cat

I’ve watched the Elisa Lam tape too many times in recent hours to handle this hallway shot

REALLY GROSS LICKING NOISES

the Trash Bag Killer coming at her was scary :(

Betty’s lovely blue knit cardi with the puffed sleeves!

50 Shades of Betty: clearing her throat before the doctor quite finishes her sentence—Lili Reinhart continues to be great at conveying “slightly perturbing subterranean tension”

was Charles a serial killer too??? oh damn!

Betty has been successfully holding off giving Glen a key to her place until now, an era that must come to a close

fellas, “Do I at least get a kiss?” is a bad move

Veronica was rich: Veronica’s new digs: exposed brick, bougiely avant-garde chandelier; possibly an elevator door right there behind the dude?

Veronica has married Hiram, to no one’s surprise

Chadwick looks like Jimmi Simpson and brunet Evan Peters plus a jaw

Veronica’s single-puffled-sleeved gown…..madamn (she has absolutely been taking secret birth control pills)

Summer + Blair = Veronica: of course Veronica would be great at Howard Ratner’s job; I MUST know what “specialty showcase haute couture offense” Vinnie has committed

T-Dubbs’ green jacket

Veronica pretended she was working at like, a department store? but she MISSED the EDGE post-day-trading

their apartment is so expensive that their bedroom is totally exposed

oh my god, Hermione

Best costume bit: please get me these satiny green high-waisted slacks?! and ugh her blouse has shoulder tassels……..she’s flourishing

“That’s threatening to an alpha like Chad.”

yes, they have a private elevator. fine.

Glen and Chad get their ties from the same Men’s Warehouse

“When that helicopter went down on the way to Martha’s Vineyard…”

you know kissing is 4-real when one person cups their hand to the back of the other person’s neck all close

I don’t understand the drop of the Glamergé egg but I appreciate that there is one and that Veronica is like, get this the fuck out of my house

Veronica’s shiny cropped tweed two-piece, Yvonne’s weird feathery coat that matches her bf’s shirt (you know she’s supposed to be “too much” because she’s got big hoop earrings)

God, Jughead is next and I’m not gonna be able to handle it

OH GOD IT’S SO MUCH WORSE THAN I THOUGHT

Alphabet City?! the piano?? the fucking East Coast Beat typewriter shit—the day robe? I’m—READING CLUBMASTERS? FORSYTHE???

OH GOD HE’S DATING ANOTHER WRITER (she has nice pants)

Jughead eats: “that place you like” is a HOT DOG STAND in the middle of SOME GRASS

I’ve seen Brick like thirty times: Jughead wears high-ankle light blue jeans, grey socks, and spectators that blend to create the illusion of wading boots. I’m going to commit a crime

Jughead doubts it: “So did Kerouac. And Hemingway. And Fitzgerald.” 

fuck yes I love Floundering Jughead, and his Pushy Agent who pronounces “career” like “Korea,” and the continuing tradition of Jughead getting kicked out of his house

I like Literary Grifter’s sweater

the Brat Pack, and most of the Rat Pack for that matter, were actors, but I assume RAS couldn’t resist the rhyme 

I was 100% afraid we were about to learn Cora was an uncomfortably-young undergrad

the musical cue as she reaches into her bag is absolutely as if she’s taking out a gun, and it might as well be! it’s the scariest thing in NYC: an unpublished manuscript

showrunners doing a classic I Love Lucy job partially concealing Vanessa Morgan’s pregnancy via medium close-ups, draping black clothes

Cheryl slowly turning to ask if doesn’t she look okay 10/10 icon

Cheryl’s pins: she has either a tiny spider or maybe a tick

Cheryl’s sheaths: the lacy red thing, amazing

why is Cheryl’s left hand gloved?

Cheryl’s a chaos angel from hell: Cheryl’s going to forge a Rembrandt, which unfortunately means she’s my favorite person on the planet (she does not look happy about doing this)

btw is Nana Rose an Immortal?

please tell me about Toni’s eyelashes

EXTREMELY HAUNTED DOLL?!

“Damn good coffee”: Archie’s earnest “Where are people gonna sit for the bus?” slayed me

fuck YEAH Ghoulies party house! terrible music but really good skull spray paint art

Jug looks LOW lol

Veronica’s blouse + buttons, impeccable

I’m writing a scene where it’s gay.: Tabitha/Squeaky

the hellscape semi’s red backlighting and its skeleton’s red eyes

I like Linette’s glossy bomber!

the trucker who’s about to kill her can’t also be the Trash Bag Killer….truckers have to stick to too much of a schedule….but he could be Betty’s meandering serial

I loved this episode

NEXT WEEK: Archie brings the FBI down on some people paying their rent :(

[haslemere]

Ask Game Thanks @mysoftboybensolo.

Why did you choose your url? It's a reminder of my first doomed blue eyed boy crush ( I watch a lot of obscure Brit period dramas what can I say...lol)

Any side blogs?  I used to help out Dan Stevens Brasil with a @danstevensnews blog until Tumblr took it away from us :(

How long have you been on tumblr? longer than I should lol... 8 years

Do you have a queue tag? Nope...not witty enough. Love reading tags though

Why did you start your blog in the first place?  I started as I mean to go on...to love Dan Stevens :) I saw the tumblr fire of the DA meltdown and I needed to defend my man. I still do :)

Why did you choose your icon/pfp? I rotate pics as Dan has new roles on my dashboard. The blog pic is from 2017 SDCC and is perfect lol

Why did you choose your header? Because I need all the Alexander Lemtov love I can get ...is crazy, no?

What’s your post with the most notes? Dan explaining why Disney pulled the original shirtless reveal of Prince in BatB (I'm still waiting for that deleted scene to surface somewhere on the net--:)) It's around 2140 notes (that's a lot for me lol)

How many mutuals do you have? I have a few very close friends on Tumblr but not too many. I love seeing posts and notes from people I've followed since 2013 though!

How many followers do you have? I have 2254 followers--thanks 2017 Dan lol. (not counting all the nsfw blogs I've had to delete/block over years--thanks @tumblr for getting rid of our Dan blog but allowing those others to just keep annoying me...

How many people do you follow? I follow 272 blogs. Mostly history, architecture, antiquities, old ads lol... Richard Armitage (my other fave), Fassbender, Oscar Isaac, Broadway... LotR, Viggo... I got a lot. I do need to watch more new tv lol..

Have you ever made a shit post? no but I've gotten shitty Dan hate over the years. Does that count? ugh... but we've won that one so whatevs

How often do you use tumblr a day? once or twice I look over my dash but I don't tumble as often as I used to. I still make crappy Dan gifs ( I do adore and appreciate all those who make wonderfully crisp and clear Dan gifs though) ...all Dan gifs make me happy.

Did you ever have a fight/argument with another blog? I got DA Dan hate as a said when I first arrived on Tumblr to defend his decision to leave DA after he fulfilled his contract ...I was told to fuck off... hey welcome to Tumblr (I still do this as the media refuses to let it go AFTER EIGHT YEARS)

How do you feel about the ‘you need to reblog’ posts? I don't like being pressured by 'influencers' to tell me how to think or believe or what to reblog... I'll reblog what I want. That's the real freedom of Tumblr

Do you like tag games? I do. Like this! thanks

Do you like ask games? I do like being asked things about shows and stuff...doesn't happen as much now.

Which of your mutuals do you think is tumblr famous? Do you have a crush on a mutual? No idea.. for me they're all famous :) I have many celeb crushes, but no mutual tumblr crushes. Thanks! Anyone can answer if they want . I just noticed that every time I added a pic, tumblr started the #s over again.. oops

[partnersatfazbear]

Analysis of The Real Jake (SPOILERS)

I can't decide whether to make this post a stream-of-consciousness style or group it into evidence for x... but since it's easier, I'll just write my thoughts as I go. Although a lot of this is factual ties to, say, FNAF 4, things like relating Margie to Henry are just my own headcanon and you can do with that what you will AKA don't take this all too seriously, but have fun with it. There’s also specific notes about Michael Afton, for those that just want to know what was said regarding him (presumably).

Before I start, please note I've had three hours of sleep in the last... 28 hours? IDK I can't math, especially not on this little sleep. So, there may be errors. I tried to make a note on things I was unsure about, too. 

Note: I wrote this before the Evan=CC theory was all but confirmed. Although I believe this theory from the logbook, I think a lot of these notes are still valid.

Read my notes under the cut:

Margie shares similar physical appearance to Henry: Pg 84 “The window fan blew a lock of her shoulder-length brown hair across her upper lip so it looked like she had a mustache.”

“Mrs. Afton” stand in is mentioned: Pg 86 “...it had been four years since his Mom had died...” (Jake is 9 in the story)

I notice when Scott mentions plaid. Pg 87 “...a green-and-blue plaid plush chair...” I mostly wanted to note this since canonically, Henry had a green plaid shirt.

“William” stand in is mentioned. Pg 89 “And you know he thinks about you [Jake] all the time?” “So, he has to concentrate on what he's doing... ...I don't want him thinking about me and end up shooting himself in the foot or something.” Pg 102 “Yeah, I did. [I spilled some chocolate ice cream] Right on my shirt!” Pg 122 “I did that today! [While playing a DDR like game, breaking a shoelace.]” (Admittedly, I only counted these because I headcanon William is much more of a bumbling fool than he appears. It comes up very often as you can see... although you could write it off as Evan just trying to relate to his kid.)

“William” stand in is mentioned. Pg 92 “...Margie was pretty sure Evan couldn't afford to replace a washer and dryer” and “...Evan, at his rank, could barely afford her” Pg 110 “Gillian's house shared stlying with Evan's, but hers was probably four times bigger.” (Again, I headcanon William and his family is on the low end of middle class, if not lower, in terms of income. Particularly, the house is cramped.)

“Mrs. Afton” stand in is mentioned. Pg 93 “First, Jake's Mom was killed.” Pg 139 “The mom's dead.” (You could infer that she died via something akin to a car crash in the context of the story, however if you reflect it to the games given the commonalities, I like to think of this as confirmation that William murdered her, given the word 'killed' is used.)

Margie records herself on her cell phone. Pg 93 (and on other pages) (Again referencing my headcanon for Henry, in which he records ideas/diaries often. At minimum, Henry is referred to as “Cassette Man” in PizzaSim so... I just thought it could make for an interesting comparison.)

Jake mentions his “friends”. Pg 99 “Patty and Davey... Vic... and the twins... Ellie and Evie... Kyle, Clay, and Garrett” (Also, he isn't mentioned until later, but there's his best friend Brandon, too. I noted these in reference to CC talking about his 'friends', either IRL or the plushies. I assume his IRL friends are the MCI victims. The number doesn't add up though. I really, really wanted to make a connection about the twins, considering Charlie and Sammy are twins, but there wasn't enough evidence to write it off as anything other than a coincidence. Also... Clay, really? We need another double name in this series? Ugh.)

What's your favorite flavor? Chocolate Pg. 102 “What flavor did you get?” “Chocolate. Duh.” (This is a stretch, but it did remind me of Help Wanted's final level in the main game, where you're asked to choose your favorite cake flavor. Although, they're discussing ice cream here.)

Maybe some insight into William's personality? Pg. 103 “You ever do that, Evan?” “What?” “Let off steam.” “Me? No. Steam is pretty much what keeps me going.” (Just more evidence that William is obsessed with his work. You could imply “steam” implies he runs like a machine, but that's stretching a bit.)

Pg. 113 -118 (Jake climbs out of his window to run off to play at the arcade with his friend. Obvious parallel to the child in Midnight Motorist, although it's daytime and no animatronics/fursuits luring him.) There is this, on Pg 121 also. Jake says, “We played all the racing games. I love racing games.”

PURPLE Pg 121 “...did you get a slushie at the arcade? I got one. I got grape. It turned my tongue purple.” “My tongue's purple, too!” “Purple power!” (Uh, do I really need to explain this? I should note that Evan is the one mentioning “grape”. I guess William likes grape flavor and purple.)

'Michael' is mentioned. Sort of a stand in for Michael Afton, but it should be noted that Michael and Evan are brothers in this universe. Pg 126, 127 “Michael...lived in Europe for a few years...” “Michael's a serious dude. He's, well, a little different. He's intense about making money...the way he is about it... can make him seem like he's not human.” “So, he's like a cyborg with bad programming?” Michael has some dialogue: “You must excersize caution. You could get chocolate on my suit, and that would be bad. Very, very bad.” (The very very bad thing is a running joke in the family, which is why this comes up. I don't have a lot to say about it, though. I think Michael [Afton] being obsessed with money seems a bit counter intuitive to how we know him, but who knows? I also want to note that Evan doesn't seem antagonistic towards Michael; in fact, he “hate[s] to ask him for favors”.)

Also, Pg 141 “His [Michael's] flat, gruff voice was unmistakable.” Michael is also the first one to hear his father is dead and informs Margie about it. “I have been notified that Evan's dead.” Pg 142 “She had only met Michael the one time, and she knew the way he processed the world was very different from what was “normal”” Michael also states to Margie: “I've got Evan's will... you're Jake's guardian and he left you the house and some savings. I'm the executor.” Margie also says: “He[Michael]'s a numbers genius, manages money for the wealthy people and has made a killing doing it.” “He's not a bad guy. He just doesn't know how to connect. He doesn't feel the way we do.” (Just more Michael characterization.)

Direct FNAF 4 easter egg references: Pg 128 “...the IV stand lurking in the corner of the room” Pg 129 “...and the line of perscription medication bottles marching across the top of the chest of drawers”

Margie is more than a nanny and possibly in love with Evan: Pg. 139 “She'd come to love Evan, too... like a brother.” Pg 140 “...she was included in the outings, movie nights, game nights, and storytelling time...” Pg 149 “...she wanted Evan to be more than just a boss, and being in his room when he was gone made her feel like a lovelorn stalker.” “Love him like a brother... She snorted. Boy, had she been lying to herself.” Pg 158 “What she was feeling called for a screaming fit or a total mental breakdown.” (Yeah, this is just me reading too much into this for Willry content, haha... But still. I am determined that Margie is a Henry stand-in.)

'I will put you back together' Pg 140 “I'm trying to bring you home whole.” (Evan is discussing “no man left behind” with his son, Jake. I think this is obvious.)

William's home office? Pg. 149 “When he was home, she'd go in and vacuum or put away laundry... ...when he was gone...coming in here felt like an invasion of privacy.” “Evan's room would be her room.” “...I'd feel like I was sleeping in your bed, she thought.” “...the room felt discretely masculine.” “The walls were covered in family photos.” “The shelves were stuffed with fiction... mysteries to classics, nonfiction... how-to books...from rebuilding a car engine to planting a garden.”

FNAF 4 reference. Pg 152 “Outside, a dog barked.” (You can hear a dog barking as ambient noise during nights when playing FNAF 4.)

Other notes:

It happens a lot, but one of the main things in the book is the doll Simon and how Jake talks to it. This is very blatantly a reference to the Golden Freddy Plush (“Psychic Friend Fredbear”). The story confirms it's Jake's father, Evan, talking through it. Although it makes the one scene in FNAF 4 a little wonky (the only scene where we see Purple Guy), I think it's pretty much confirmed that it's William talking to CC now. Obviously, we already suspected this due to Sister Location's “Secret Room”. In this story, Evan says he did it because he wanted to give Jake some hope he would live. Combined with both the IV/medicine bottle easter eggs (in the story and FNAF 4) I think it's plausible to assume that CC was taken home after the Bite of '83 for a period of time before he passed away. I will admit, also, that Evan definetly comes off as a very caring father (in comparison to how we presume William is based on what we've seen of him as a person; although I argued this before on this blog, I don't think William hates his kids. I think he's neglectful, moreso as the story goes on. I think he resents Michael for many reasons but I won't go into that here. I just don't think he's the abusive monster the fanbase interprets him to be—at least not early on.)

The cabinet reminds me a lot of the closets in the novel series. A built in shelf with a doll in it. A doll that represents a child. Considering Margie tends to this doll (see Pg. 130-135), I have to draw more parallels between her and Henry.

The fan is mentioned A LOT. I don't really know why, but I guess we can't help but think of every single FNAF office when it's brought up. Specifically, on Pg. 106, Margie mentions the fan in her room is as loud as a jet engine and the sound made her nervous. Once again, I'm reminded of PizzaSim. Seriously, screw you fan.

The heat is mentioned a lot, too. I know the story takes place in summer, but this did remind me of Pizza Sim.

Pg. 93 “Margie sat down in the faded blue webbed lawn chair that was set up, for reasons she never understood, in front of the shelves by the stairs.” (I noted this because it's specifically called out and I don't know why.)

Margie talks about why she's working for Evan: Pg. 95 “I didn't get the internship I applied for.” I like to think her and Mia (from 1280) were after the same internship. (I may be misremembering, but I'm pretty sure Mia mentioned an internship at the hospital.)

Jake is mentioned to have brown hair, green eyes. His favorite color is green. He also wears green often. I couldn't find anything really interesting about it. It would make more sense as a Puppet reference, tbh (because of the green bracelet (and eyes? I may be remembering wrong) I guess it's also worth noting that Elizabeth has green eyes.

Pg 135 “Are you afraid people will think you're murdering me?” “...I could end you so quickly you'd never make a sound.” (Just an odd conversation between Jake and Margie. Margie is joking here, obviously.) Also, Pg. 136 “I just figured your [Jake's] wires got crossed or your circuits were frying.” (Admittedly, I don't know what to make of this. Could be a reference to Robot-CC, if you believe that or MikeBot [I don't], but more likely just ironic dialogue. It could also reference Jake's future in the Stichwraith?)

Pg 139 “Sometimes, Margie wished she was like one of the robots Jake liked so much.” (Although I can't really compare this to Henry, I did write William with this mindset and thought it was worth mentioning.)

Pg 141+ So, Evan dies overseas (he's a soldier). (I think this could be hinting that William has been springlocked around the time CC passes away. Jake has been home for some time after his diagnosis so we can infer based on that and the easter eggs that CC was brought home to die in peace. At the very least, William's probably very absent during this time. Possibly brought in for questioning but not arrested. I don't know. I feel like there's something to this.)

Pg 154 “Dave's at work.” (Why? Can we not use established names? Aghhh)

Pg 155 “The ambulance arrived at 11:32.” (I don't know why this is stated so outright. I couldn't find a reason, except that a few paragraphs earlier they say it will arrive by noon. I don't know why it's so specific, but I felt like noting it anyway.)

Pg 159 “Five people. Five sets of eyes. And none of them noticed...” (Yeah. We all know how important 5 is in FNAF.)

Three medical personel are mentioned. One at the end is named Nancy [No Last Name Given], but I like to think its a reference to Man in 1280 and we're dealing with Heracles Hospital once more, although it's never said in this story. Speaking of, the only thing that really stood out to me in 1280's story was that a billionare funded the restoration of the hospital. I like to headcanon that was Henry's doing—I imagine him obscessing over overcompensating for his mistakes by giving back in every way possible, even if it isn't directly related to him.

So, this post only took two hours of my life. I hope someone gets some use out of it, be it for my intended Willry purposes or maybe those Michael fans that are curious about it. If you enjoyed this post, let me know. I'd love to write up more of these if I have the time.

I have other write-ups on this blog, too. Just search fnaf theories on my blog page!

[meanscarletdeceiver]

Uuuuhhh Rheneas?

Ugh, this is so mean! ;) There’s so little to work with when it comes to this poor dude. (But thank you, still had fun.)

A. realistic: Rheneas has collected a vast knowledge of how to curse in three languages (Welsh, Sudric, and English). Obviously, he’s not the one anyone expects it from, but he undeniably Has It. Even Duke is impressed. So is Duncan, who immediately sets to tutoring Rheneas in the fouler ways of a fourth language... 

B. while it may not be realistic it is hilarious: I mentioned this before, but… Rheneas has a familiar who is a black cat. At least, most of the S.R. is convinced that he does, and are profoundly respectful (and weirded out) by the whole thing. 

To all appearances, that same black cat has been living and roaming the various stations along the line for the past 120+ years (except… she is said to disappear, when Rheneas is away for repairs). 

It’s pro’lly just a black cat and her generations of descendants, but that’s not as much fun as everyone assuming it’s the same one and that Rheneas is a witch. 

C. heart-crushing and awful, but fun to inflict on friends: okay, this could be more heart-crushing and more cruel, but I leave that to you angsty S.R. torture experts 

Skarloey misses Rheneas whenever Rheneas is away at Whitehaven on overhaul far more than Rheneas misses Skarloey. 

It’s not that there’s anything wrong? It’s not that Rheneas doesn’t miss his brother? 

But just not nearly as much as the reverse. 

Rheneas is hit hard with this realization after the first time (the 1954-61 absence). Like, he loves his brother (and he tries hard to conceal this reality), but it was interesting to be away, and a bit of a breather to not have to be overshadowed by Skarloey’s charisma for a while. 

(Similarly, despite it being such hard work, Rheneas did not at all hate the period before this when he had to run the line alone. Like, some days were hard, but overall he gloried in finally getting everyone’s full attention and in being able to show what he could do.)   

D. unrealistic, but I will disregard canon about it because I reject canon reality and substitute my own: I stick my tongue out at the TTTE framing device of Thomas telling the other N.W.R. engines the Duke story (as I do so many TTTE ideas, lol). 

But I do believe that Thomas learns about Rheneas running the S.R.’s line himself from ’52ish-’54ish and is very intrigued, because he himself had run a branch line alone for a decade (post-Coffee Pots, pre-Toby).   

At first, as you might imagine, he is jealous and dismissive (‘that’s no big deal!’) But he’s fascinated, and keeps asking questions, coming to really relate to the narrow-gauge engine, and then, over the years, once he’s grasped how the S.R.’s entire traffic is heavier than the Ffarquhar line, genuinely to regard Rheneas as one of his personal heroes. 

I can’t think of a super-realistic way for them to meet (TTTE’s later Blue Mountain Quarry is another thing I am ambivalent on… and I definitely don’t believe Thomas has time to be there so damn often!), but at some point over the decades they must indeed meet. And vibe. <3 

(Yeah, I know. Like, one character left in canon that Thomas doesn’t meet and befriend in predictable fashion… and here’s me insisting, no, I really want Thomas to hone in on this character’s territory, too! Ah well. C’est la vie. Besides, all the other S.R. engines had a sort of “standard-gauge doppelganger” that was not-so-subtly pointed out in early canon, but Rheneas was rather left out and I am over the narrative overlooking Rheneas, hell yeah I am. Anyway, they seem rather congruous, in this way and also that they are both hardworking and not all that flexible. Also their names are damn similar too.)